The mind and body are completely interconnected. If something is wrong in the body, the mind may be the first place to show it. Irritability can be caused by tiredness or feeling cold. Headaches and mental tension can often be cured by hydration. Heightened anxiety levels can be significantly reduced by eating. The symptoms of depression are very similar to those of overtraining.

“There is suffering in this world. To live is to suffer.” – Buddha

There is no avoiding the fact that this chapter may come across as harsh to some readers. It will contain some suggestions that if taken on face value may seem offensive, insulting or uninformed. If you feel this way, please do continue reading to the end as I will hopefully clarify my position adequately, as well as potentially give you another tool to combat depression.

You can’t be as good a parent, sibling, friend, employee, boss, or anything else if you are emotionally drained, compromised, or suffering from a mental affliction.

The better you are, the better you can help others.

“Make not your thoughts your prisons.” – William Shakespeare

I have noticed a peculiar thing about my mental afflictions, they come with a warning system, kind of like a weatherman’s forecast.

My internal weatherman is not perfect, but he often provides me with some vital warning signs that can help me avoid an oncoming catastrophe. Sometimes the signs line up and I am in for a week of mental anguish, emotional turbulence, and significantly diminished functionality. Other times the storm innocently passes by and I am quickly back to my normal self.

Your mind and body are completely interconnected.

It is difficult to remain in a sound mind when you are feeling lethargic, sick, bloated, tired, run-down, or in pain.

You literally are what you eat.

What you eat directly impacts your metal state. Put simply, the better you eat, the better you will feel.

I spend a lot of my time researching and experimenting to find what works to best guard my mental state. I want to do everything I can to ensure that my mood is stable and that my mental health is improving over time …

"It was like releasing water through a dam. It felt like if I didn’t cut, that my mind would crack, with devastating results ..."