Anxiety and depression are BFF's

Did you know depression and anxiety are BFFs? Who knew? I have actually found this out myself. My name is Christine J Gold, obviously. I'm with 24 Karat Healing, and I've been doing a lot of reading. In fact, I went from never picking up a book for most of my 40 years on this earth to reading a book a week. And what I found out is my depression and my anxiety that I've suffered for most of my life is linked, highly linked. And I came across an amazing book from Johann Hari called Lost Connections. I highly recommend this book. It gave me so many epiphanies and aha moments, things that I was struggling with. I mean, I did have my spiritual awakening this year. I mean, that has helped, but it still pops up, especially now that we are in winter and there's less sunlight. That— I am seasonally affected as well, so I have all three coming in. And then I have hormonal issues. So ladies, anyone over 40— actually, I think it's actually ladies, any ladies over 30, their hormones are out of whack. That highly affects your mood. And going back to this book, you know, the Seasonal Affective Disorder, he is basically saying that there's 9 ways you know, that we were in depression and grief mode. It's linked to anxiety, it's linked to grief, it's linked to fear, it's linked to worry, it's linked to doubt. It's basically the world that we live in today. We have lost connections. We have no connection to self, we have no connection to friends, family, and to work— meaningful work, purposeful work. There is no purpose anymore. So that, that and, you know, everything that we see on the media, social media is included, that highly ties in and feeds us, you know, feeds our anxiety, it feeds, you know, our self-worth, it makes us feel less than, and then that's the ego as well. I talk highly about the ego. The ego is the first one to say, no, you suck, no, you can't do it, you don't have enough money, you don't have enough talent. So that was one of my epiphanies. But did you know— this is from the World Health Organization— 1 in 4 people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives? That's around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. And you know, what's the first thing we go to? I know myself, I like to drink. I've cut that back quite a bit. I mean, I remember times years ago I'd get blackout drunk. I mean, it was just crazy. And you know, waking up and then going, God, what did I do this? And then to do it again. Now looking back, I know why I was trying to fill something a hole within me that couldn't be filled by external anything. And I was a smoker as well, and I quit almost a year ago. Drinking part, I've really cut down. I have a couple drinks in the week and that's it. It's— I'm looking for more purpose in my life. That's why I wanted to do this video. I had just put up— I do a weekly blog on 24khealing.ca and it was all about anxiety and depression. I just felt, especially with the full moon coming up. Now you guys can, whoever, naysayers, whatever, if the moon can affect oceans and the tides and currents, it affects people and animals, okay? And that's all I'm gonna say about that. So, and I've been fighting with doctors as well, you know. Um, in regards to my health, um, in regards to, you know, not my mood per se. I find doing these videos for you, doing readings for others, and, and helping with the Reiki healing, that actually gives me some sense of purpose. So I'm on my way. However, when you go to a doctor, there's no checklist anymore. They're just simply overwhelmed. Or maybe they've lost their purpose. So a lot of times if you lose a family member, a friend, your job, or your home, or your finances, those are all major losses and grief. And why would you give someone a pill for that? They need someone to talk to, they need someone to help them, they need someone to be there for them, they need tools. To get them to the next step because there are stages of grief and all of that underlies and comes up as depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. So instead of a pill, how about we get some real help here? And they say that, you know, serotonin is the answer, getting vitamin D, your, your SAD lights, your exercise, and list goes on. It's a whole 360 approach. There is no one certain thing. All I know for myself is it's about purpose. You must have a purposeful life. And how I look at it, I go back to when I was a child and think of the things that I wanted to be when I grew up and the things that I'd like to do. I'm going backwards now, and I'm trying to find those moments where I was like, wow, That's awesome. You know, more fun, more fun. You will find purpose. Do something different. Get outside even for 10 minutes. Believe me, when you're in that state, you don't want to go outside. You want to hide. You want to loathe. You want to pull the covers over and just make the world disappear. So, and also, Western culture is the loneliest society ever, and there's strong evidence that loneliness increases depression, okay? So there's also emerging evidence that if you can find a safe way to talk about your trauma, your grief and depression, and you won't be judged, your chances of becoming depressed will fall. So up to now, you've— the thought of antidepressants is just chemicals, but there's other evidence that antidepressants are not pills but carefully chosen changes in the way we live. We live in an increasingly insecure culture, and this is making many of us depressed. Depressed. So please know that you're not alone, and together we can fight this, okay? Reach out to me if you're depressed, you're anxious, you need a friend, you need tools, you need tips, you need tricks, and someone who will listen to you. Because I've been there, and I kind of dip in and out depending on what's going on, right? That's life. I will listen without judgment. And please, if you're suicidal, Call the suicidal hotline at 1-800-273-8255 in the US and 1-833— sorry, 1-833-456-4566 in Canada. Please subscribe below. I have tools, I have my weekly intuitive messages. Subscribe to my newsletter. I have exclusive contests and tips and content on depression, anxiety, grief, spirituality, and purpose. And I want to wish you all love, light, and blessings. And remember, healing begins where the ego ends.