Body

Restore Your Health

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Heb 12:1
God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, 
but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Tim 1:7

What's required: Eat properly, get your health tested and blood work done. Review your hormone levels. Exercise with a combination of cardio and weights. Consider yoga. Consider supplements.
How it works: Your body is going crazy with changes, and you have to keep your body normalized and healthy to have any chance of restoring your mental health.
What you should know: This can cost money, but it's worth every single penny.
My own experience: It wasn't just me that could tell a difference when I worked out and burned off cortisol. Friends, family, and my counselor could tell right away because I was balanced. Just do the work. It's hard, but be disciplined about it.
Why it's worth it: You'll shorten the healing process by an order of magnitude if you get into and STICK to a good routine. Discipline = Freedom. Both men and women need to do this.

• Get a full-body review and blood work done. Check hormones, B12, and other levels. Take whatever recommended supplements are necessary to correct levels. Get over yourself. We change with time and especially under stress. 
• Eat properly now. This is critical! Don't cheat. Just do the work. Make sure you get enough calories and the right nutrition to sustain your return to positive physical and mental health. 
• Consume enough calories. I initially lost too much weight and had to start using weight gainer to get enough calories. There were several weeks when I wasn't sleeping well. Felt great otherwise! Turns out I wasn't consuming enough calories and as soon as I corrected my food intake I started sleeping through the night perfectly. 
• Exercise under the guidance of a doctor if you have any concerns whatsoever. Here's a great book that discusses diet and proper lifting regimen if you want to gain mass. 
• Get excited! Enjoy it. Exercise for me includes a broad range of activities that help me sweat and breathe. Notice and celebrate any positive changes by telling yourself you look good every time you see yourself in the mirror! You need to feel good about yourself. And you should.  
• Join a class and learn something new.
• Learn how to breathe properly (good book here). When you feel yourself getting stressed you can pump extra oxygen into your brain. This can be done anywhere - like in the middle of a meeting, while driving, sitting down or standing in line. At it's simplest, breathe deliberately into your belly and let it fully expand, giving yourself a nice round belly – and then – expand your rib cage for that last bit of air to enter your lungs. Hold the air in your lungs and let your chest lead the exhale followed by your stomach, the reverse of what you just did on the inhale. Your exhale should take just as long as the inhale. Your belly is doing by far the majority of the work. Done properly, you can easily make yourself dizzy with the amount of oxygen you're getting. Take the time to breathe properly.