It always surprises me that once the holidays are over how we can all get ourselves into an emotional funk. The cold weather sets in and the tendency is to cocoon and ride it out till the spring comes. The post holiday period can be especially rough for most people as it often triggers old emotional issues. Such as the absence of a loved one or separation from family.

The shorten days don’t help and with the lack of sunlight one can feel like they’re living in a tunnel 24 / 7. It’s no wonder the idea of rolling up in the corner with an afghan can seem particularly attractive on a cold dreary day.  However, that’s a good formula to isolate yourself further and indulge in a high sugar carb diet. If you’re not careful you’ll end up looking like a blimp once April rolls around and you’ll be beating yourself up for it.

Thoughts Are Things

In both Acupuncture and Applied Kinesiology emotions play a much bigger role than in conventional western medicine. In Applied Kinesiology health is a triangle made up of structure, chemistry and emotions. While most practitioners like to focus on the chemical and structural issues, the emotional side of the triangle is often the missing ingredient.  As a former psychologist it often fascinates me to watch the mind / body connection in play.

‘ Thoughts Are Things ‘  is a common expression but there is a wealth of information out there to support that. In the book Molecules of Emotion, the author Candace Pert’s provides a clear explanation in the research as to how peptides work to connect with all parts of the mind/body connection in a shared network of biological information. Peptides including endorphins affect both our emotions and immune system simultaneously. Consequently emotions can be mobilized to help destroy an incipient tumor.

The Power Of Emotions

Also in oriental medicine emotions are an important part of the healing process. While acupuncture can help balance a person’s Qi and redirect stuck energy, different emotional states are frequently associated with different organ involvement. Angry is often associated with an imbalance in the liver and excessive fear will often affects the kidney. In a similar process oriental medicine would see excessive worry as a problem for the pancreas and grief affecting the lungs. So the idea is to live in balance with your environment to keep these conditions from manifesting.

Don’t obsess with things but rather let peace and harmony fill your life. This is done by mediation / prayer, exercise and proper diet. In the Bhagavad Gita there is a constant reminder that you need to do your part, and at the same time to be mindful that you are not running the whole world.

Getting Out of the Winter Blues

So, on a practical side what to do to get yourself out of that bad winter head and get your life moving again? Instead of going to your medical doctor and being diagnosed with a Prozac deficiency try these simple steps first.

1) Get more sunlight if it’s possible. If your homebound an inexpensive full spectrum light is quite useful. It will help your body manufacture an increased level of vitamin D. Which will help both your immune system and sleep patterns as your serotonin levels will increase.

2)Herbs can useful as well. Adding ginger and Astragalus to your diet will not boast the immune system but will relieve many joint aches from the cold and help with sleep patterns.

3) increase your protein content to at least 2x a day. It can be said that protein is the ISP of the body. Protein helps runs the adrenals and is an important source for brain glucose. It helps to increase production of neurotransmitters and rid of those feelings of melancholia.

For further information on beating the winter blues see our website and blog posts at  www.drsadlon.com.