How I Found Laughter Again
May 5, 2017 | Written by Leticia Padmasri
I was struggling with depression and anxiety which I thought was triggered by a life threatened health issue – a blood clot. But then I found out that I have been struggling with a low degree depression and anxiety since I was a teen!
When I had the blood clot (which I found out later it was due to a genetic disorder), I was also going through main life changes such as marriage and moving out of my home country. All of this contributed to expose strongly the depression and anxiety. I would wake up feeling my body as heavy as a hippopotamus even though I was losing weight. Every inch of my body would ache. An elephant paw was sitting on my heart. My appetite, none. My enthusiasm for life, gone. My laugh, what is that? But because I am a doer, I would manage to do things and even get some exercise. It took me a while to understand that I had such condition because I push myself hard. A lot was manifesting in anger and the more I pushed myself the more I burst out.
I also have a family with a history of depression and anxiety and my dad strongly suggested that I would look for medical assistance. I was resistant to take medications. But things were getting very hard so I finally went for it. The doctor prescribed me an anti-depressant. Fortunately the first pill I took, my body went bananas! It reacted intensely to it. It was very scary. I had an anxiety attack and could not sleep. This was my turning point.
I took it as my body wisdom screaming to me and saying that I had everything to heal myself in a natural way. I have yoga, Ayurveda, exercise, and Nature all around me and an opportunity to break the samskara (psychological imprints) of generations of my family on anti-depressants drugs. Next morning then, I decided to not touch it ever again and go for the alternative cure. I am not saying that medicine is evil and should not be taken. There are cases, and cases. My case, not the case. Western Medicine can be lifesaving and should be applied when necessary. This system that I used can also be used together with western medicine and eventually you can be out of it.
Through my studies of Yoga and Ayurveda I began to understand why I was inclined to depression and anxiety in the first place; how my mind works and what put me out of balance and how to bring myself back into balance through right diet, lifestyle, and right relationship. I then implement a lifestyle that would nourish my body, mind and spirit. Waking up and bed time, exercise time, nature time, laugh time, friends time, meditation time, right diet time, and a big part of the time: God time! The way I implemented the new routine was slowly and progressively so my instruments – body and mind, would not rebel. I want the new habits to stick for a lifetime so I had little and short goals; the secret to make them doable and sustainable. Then I studied and learned more about how to deal with fatigue, body pain, weight management, digestive problems, sleep issues, thyroid imbalance and other issues that depression and anxiety can bring. Then I got a PhD in anger. Then I heard my laugh, then I craved strawberries, then I woke up as light as a hummingbird! Then I knew myself.
I have been sharing this system with other people and I see them getting consistent results. I am striving to give you tools to live a normal healthy life. So you can realize the power of knowing yourself, and this will not lead you astray!