Drinking the Kool-Aid: Church + Mental Wellness

I leave my church every week feeling like I’ve just had the most kick-butt therapy session of my life.

I leave with a borderline-delusional sense of refreshment and renewal and conviction.

Being involved in a healthy church serves many purposes, and boosts my mental wellness.

Getting into the swarms of people pushes my introverted little self out of a comfort zone. Interacting with other people combats isolation.

Listening to the words of a sermon that probe not so much that I become defensive, but just enough so that I become reflective prompts life-change that helps me to make better decisions.

Being reminded of a God who loves me despite my screw-ups and my selfishness and my perceived deficiencies boosts my self-worth and self-value.

Having opportunities to serve and give in ways that make me think of myself less and others more is actually a good distraction from my issues. I even appreciate my issues sometimes because there is always, always someone who has it worse.

And to top it all off, there’s free coffee and fantastic music and knowing that my kids are getting all these same benefits in their own separate classes.

You’re not alone. 
Somebody loves you.
You are going to be ok.

These are not just cliches. These are facts that I get to drill down on weekly.

You might think all religion/spirituality has some fluff, or some condemnation, or some forced surrender. But it doesn’t have to. If these are the only results you’re getting from your spiritual practices, you’re doing it wrong.

Owning a faith-belief helps me understand my purpose for why I’m here, and where I’ll go after here. 

Does any of this stuff sound like something that might benefit your mental health? Can anyone relate to this?

If you’ve ‘tried everything else’ to make yourself happy, maybe try church.

Focus on Me, Bae: Treating ADHD

So first of all, let’s just skip the discussion on whether we think this is an actual disorder or not. There’s no use arguing.

If your poor focus is affecting your day-to-day life and leading to some dysfunctional performance in some area of your life, you might want to keep reading.

OR if you feel like your focus is ok, but you wonder what it might be like to have the genius information-retention skills (albeit, awkward social interactions) of Dr. Sheldon Cooper one day you can keep reading too.

These are the top supplements to help with FOCUS and CONCENTRATION (I could give explanations, but let's face it, you're going to Wikipedia this anyway):

Omega 3 fatty acid fish oil

L-phenylalanine

B3, B5 and B6 vitamins - but WATCH liver function with these.

Zinc

Magnesium

Phosphatidy-l-serine is great for recall, especially in combo with L-tyrosine.

FOCUS from Solaray is a brand with a good combo of some of the above ingredients.

Other recommendations for kick-starting your brain:

Yerba-mate tea is helpful for mental sharpness.

Rosemary, sage, and jasmine are appropriate essential oils to enhance attention.

Keep a rigid schedule. Your brain likes predictability. Set cell phone alarms as reminders if you’re unreliable or forgetful. Exercise your butt off. Don’t overload your brain with too much alcohol or sugar. Consider that very-much-talked-about gluten-free diet  (it’s a passing fancy for good reason).

As always, a thorough blood work-up should be performed to rule out any metabolic issues. Review this post and also check testosterone, zinc, and ferritin.

Remember the rules of supplement purchasing by reviewing this post.

When it comes to medications, stimulants should be saved as a last resort. Strattera, Clonidine, Intuniv are possible options too.

DISCLAIMER: Thanks for reading the above, but whoever you are: unless you are living in my household (which I think I would have noticed), it’s very unlikely that I have any idea what sort of medical history, medication regimen, allergies, and any other health intricacies you carry. Therefore, you should NOT interpret the above as medical advice for yourself, and instead present this information to your personal clinician for consideration.

Another DISCLAIMER: Obviously, the best way to get the best nutrition is through FOOD, not supplements. But for those of us who are still getting the hang of this work-life balance thing, supplements are a way to stay sane when you don’t have time & dinero for meal-planning & organics. Don’t beat yourself up.