What Do Christmas and Disaster Scenarios Have in Common?
Both Can Lead to Feelings of Depression & Despair
Right now I am working on my new book The Essential Survival Guide to Medical Preparedness and am reminded that #5 cause of death in an economic collapse is projected to be despair. Even though the holidays are a time of rejuvenation and joy, it is known that they can also be a time of stress and even despair for some.
If there have been recent deaths or loss of loved ones, if there are feelings of regret, if there is family dysfunction (and who doesn’t have some of that), the holidays can be a time where these things feel particularly poignant. For me personally, the holidays during the year after my divorce were especially difficult. I was glad to spend time with family, but it was hard to not feel a sense of loss.
This year, I am blessed to spend my first Christmas with my new husband and other family members. I am blessed to enjoy all the basics necessary for a happy life. I am living my dream of self-employment, helping others to become more prepared to take care of their health themselves. But even still, I have felt some of that holiday stress pressing down on me in recent days!
This year with our continued high unemployment, or with ill health or other hard times people may be going through, the holidays can become emotionally complicated times indeed! When you add into the mix all the shiny, happy people in the holiday ads with the latest fashions, gadgets, and a picture-perfect family, it can be easy to start to focus on what we don’t have. Magazine ads with beautiful, skinny people on the covers donning Santa hats holding plates of cookies and cakes can give us a small twinge of shame — why can’t we eat those cookies and be a size 2??
If despair can arise even in one of the wealthiest nations in the world during “the most wonderful time of the year”, imagine what it can do in a collapse scenario when massive numbers of people are cold, hungry, and hopeless. In Greece with its collapsed economy, suicide rates have increased 17% since their economic crisis hit. Some people have been so desperate that they have been dropping their kids off at hospitals or churches with notes saying they can no longer care for them.
Whether depression or despair are problematic for you in our current circumstances or not, chances are that even the most prepared among us would experience challenges when faced with a lengthy scenario of scarcity and societal chaos.
Strategies for Preempting and Handling Despair –
On a physical level, we can help prevent feelings of depression through proper nutrition. Especially during the winter months, it can be important to take Vitamin D or use full-spectrum light bulbs that help our bodies produce their own Vitamin D. We should be sure we are getting enough of other vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, either through supplementation or a widely-varied diet high in fresh produce. We should cut back on sugar and grains and ingest probiotics & fermented foods.
For preparedness purposes, I definitely recommend having some extra Vitamin D-3 serum and vitamins in your stash. Make sure to have such things as sprouting seeds, seeds to plant a garden, and the ability to make your own fermented foods from your food storage (I’ll be coming out with a video on this shortly).
On the mental/emotional level, it is important that we deal with our “stuff” as it arises. Sometimes that isn’t so much fun, but there are some tools I have found helpful. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is one that is easy to learn and very effective in helping release emotional baggage. I used EFT recently to help me release feelings of resentment toward an individual from my past, and I was amazed at how well it worked! I’ll be writing an article on it very soon as I believe it to be an indispensable tool for ultimate medical preparedness. Essential oils have also been extremely helpful to me through out the years. Some good ones to use are frankincense, Joy, and any or all of the oils in the Feelings Kit.
On a spiritual level, it is essential that we take the time to develop our faith now. Whether you are a believer in God or not, there are ways for us to learn connect with the Infinite and draw strength. My husband is an excellent example to me as he makes prayer and meditation an integral part of his day. Later this month I’m going to have him share a special meditation with you that came to him a little while back!
One more important aspect to helping prevent and cope with despair is our relationships. Healthy, trusting relationships are KEY to our happiness now, and will be even more so in times of trial. One thing that has helped me learn better relationship skills has been this — when I meet people who seem to have a knack at relationships, I ask them how they do it!
Lastly, here is some advice on dispelling depression and despair that we all know, but sometimes forget. Find a way to laugh each day, find someone to bless and serve each day, connect with God and The Infinite each day, connect with yourself and your own feelings each day, connect with loved ones each day, and find something to be grateful for each day! Journaling can help keep us on track.
May each of you enjoy peace and tranquility through the remainder of this holiday season! May you also enjoy some good food — here is a recipe I recently discovered for a healthier egg nog. Enjoy!!
- Julie =)
Healthy Almond Milk “Egg Nog”
Ingredients:
- 1-and-1/4 cup plain almond milk (1 c. raw almonds, 4-5 c. of water)
- 2 frozen bananas, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 date, soaked for 10 minutes
- dash of ground clove
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- dash of sea salt
Directions:
First, make the almond milk as follows:
Place the almonds in a large bowl and fill the bowl with water until the almonds are covered. Cover with a towel and let sit in a cool place for about 24 hours. You can soak them in the refrigerator to avoid risk of fermentation.
After the almonds are done soaking, they should be plump. Pour out the water the almonds were soaking in and rinse them with fresh water.
Place the almonds in your blender with about 4 to 5 cups of water. Blend on high for about a couple of minutes or until you don’t have any more almond pieces. Strain the almond milk through a bag strainer, or through a fine sieve, into your original bowl or another large container.
If you are going to use a sieve, use a spoon to scrap the bottom of the sieve to remove built-up almond pulp. Once all of the almond milk has been drained, remove the pulp before adding more milk to be strained. You can use a large spoon to press the almond pulp into the sieve and get more of the milk.
Next, make the egg nog:
Add 1 1/4 c. of the almond milk and the remainder of the ingredients to your blender and blend on high until there are no chunks of frozen banana left. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg if desired.
recipe source – http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/recipes/raw-vegan-eggnog-recipe-with-fresh-almond-milk/
_______________________________________________________
Julie Behling-Hovdal is a reflexologist/holistic healer and founder of Essential Survival where she teaches people how to prepare for the #1 cause of death in the event of an economic collapse — lack of access to medicines. In 2005 Julie was able to get off 4 prescription drugs and heal from a 6-year stint of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia with products from Young Living Essential Oils. Get a free copy of her report “Fast Track Survival Medicines” at http://essentialsurvival.org/fast-track-survival-medicines/.
_______________________________________________________
Statements made about the essential oils that come in the Essential Oil Survival Kit and other products offered by Essential Survival have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician.
Last updated by at .
{ 0 comments… add one now }
{ 1 trackback }