Managing Mood Holistically Part 2: The Mood Personalities
By Stephanie Hazel, Traditional Western Herbalist
http://stephaniehazel.com.au/
THE BURNT OUT OVERACHIEVER
You used to be hyperactive and stressed out, now you’re exhausted and sad. You’re quite a sensitive and thoughtful person, and you work hard. You’re driven to do things well, and like to keep other people happy. Your desire to excel and your high work ethic means that you’ve pushed your nervous system to the limits. You never used to be depressed, but a few years ago you crashed. It might have been a traumatic incident, a serious viral illness, or just plain old burnout. Now you are so tired, it’s hard to function. All the things you used to love are overwhelming and you find it hard to cope with everything that is on your plate.
Some other conditions you may suffer from are: thinness, dry and itchy skin, a delicate stomach, anxiety, neuralgia, light-related migraines and pain.
If this is you, your imbalance centres around depletion of the nervous-adrenal system. Your nervous system is naturally overactive, and you pushed yourself too hard, burning out the wiring. You need to use herbs that rebuild and strengthen the nerve tissue, and replenish the adrenal glands.
Key herbs for you are:
Damiana
Ashwagandha
Skullcap
Lemon Balm
Siberian Ginseng
Key lifestyle changes:
– More than anything, you need lots of rest. This means sleep, warm baths and no Netflix.
– Eat nourishing meals such as organic red meat stewed with vegetables.
– Have a very hard look at everything that is on your agenda, and get rid of anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.
THE MELANCHOLY ARTIST
If this is you, your mood imbalance probably started in your teens. You were most likely quite introverted, and found creative expression much easier than talking.
When you’re feeling down, it seems like a heavy blanket of black hopelessness is pressing on you – it’s hard to get out of bed, because you just don’t care about anything.
If you’re a woman, you have painful and heavy periods and might have been diagnosed with endometriosis. Headaches are common for you, especially after drinking or around your period. You’ve taken a lot of medication or recreational drugs, and your liver has taken a beating. You know that alcohol makes you worse long term, but somehow, a few glasses of wine just make everything feel so much better.
Some other conditions you may suffer from: constipation, bleeding or infected gums, difficulty digesting fatty food, haemorrhoids, acne.
If this is you, your liver function is central to your imbalances, and your nervous system is under-active.
Key herbs for you are:
Mugwort
Wormwood
Rosemary
Milk Thistle
Yarrow
Key lifestyle changes:
- Clean up your diet – stay away from fatty and processed foods and think fresh & green.
- Exercise – get your liver qi and your blood moving. Engage in gentle but energising exercise like swimming, yoga or Qi Gung
- Detox – stay away from coffee, alcohol and pain medication. They feel better in the short term, but are undermining your health in a big way.
LOW, SLOW AND BROKEN-HEARTED
If this is you, you were likely a happy and calm child. You are naturally trusting and optimistic, but life and the people in it have really let you down. When you’re down, you feel lethargic, unmotivated and disappointed in life.
You get cold easily, and your skin might be clammy. You’re likely to struggle to keep the weight off. Exercise is the last thing you want to do, and find that you can only do short bursts of activity. You get sick often, and when you do, you produce lots of mucous. In fact, you may often have a runny nose or phlegm in the throat even when you’re well. You rely on coffee and sugar to get anything done.
Other conditions you may have: diabetes, anaemia, constipation, weak heart, cold hands and feet.
If this is you, your slow metabolism is the key to your imbalance, and your circulation is poor.
Key herbs for you are:
Ginseng
Cayenne pepper
Motherwort
Cinnamon
Hawthorn Berry
Key lifestyle changes:
- Exercise is the single most important thing for you to do – make sure you break a sweat
- Socialise – your love of life will be reinvigorated when you surround yourself with people you like, while doing things that interest you.
- Reduce the carbs – your body doesn’t use glucose very well, so keep bread, sugar and pasta off the menu. You’re a good candidate for low-carb, paleo style diets.
Nextwave
