Hi Busymum
Sometimes the reasons for mental health issues aren't so obvious. Whether depression, for example, is triggered by certain thought patterns or is triggered by chemistry (hormonal changes, medication etc) or both, there's always a reason as to why the brain does what it does. Identifying the cause can definitely be a challenge.
I'm big on the holistic angle, mind/body/spirit, which helps give me a view into why I can be feeling a little 'unbalanced' at times. In my opinion, all 3 aspects require fine tuning/balance. Can be hard to achieve in this world. A few examples:
- If my self-esteem is a little low (mind), it can be hard to get a hit of dopamine, aka that natural inner chemistry (body) that provides a sense of reward. This will impact my sense of connection to life (spirit)
- If I'm feeling really unwell physically (body), my thoughts aren't going to serve me too well (mind). Being self-focused, given how I feel, I'm not going to be feeling terribly connected to life outside the 4 walls of my bedroom (spirit)
- If I've found myself feeling uninspired and disconnected from life (spirit), in an environment filled with egotists and somewhat soul destroying folk, my thoughts (mind) will have an impact on the chemistry (body) which promotes 'happiness'
Sounds pretty simplistic but often it's tough to pinpoint which aspect of our self is doing what. To complicate matters, our thoughts or belief systems alone can, if left unaddressed, really throw us out of balance in a number of ways. Just to touch on a couple of things:
- What are your beliefs when it comes to money? Is money 1) the answer to problems or 2) something that represents opportunity (the opportunity to feed your family, keep the lights on, meet up with friends over a meal etc)? Whilst not having enough of it can create issues such as stress, upset and so on, seeing it as providing opportunity may have us looking at it from an entirely different perspective. Managing opportunity may inspire us to create a budget or it may lead us to become attuned to more opportunity such as government support or a new job prospect
- What does being a mum mean? Is it about guiding and supporting your child or is it about you both guiding and supporting each other when it comes to navigating new and exciting ways of thinking? My kids have helped me 'unlearn' much in the way of negative beliefs.
Thoughts and chemistry...definitely interactive, impacting our sense of connection to life.
Take care of yourself
