SELF MEDICATING

More now than ever, with the stresses and strains of modern day life there needs to be a dramatic shift in mainstream thinking towards: better nutrition, more exercise/movement, positive thinking and meditation/mindfulness. Doing this would improve people's immune systems and uplift general well-being.  Sadly many people are searching for happiness and stress relief in the wrong places and it is having a detrimental effect on our society’s physical and mental health.

 

 





Self-medication is away to seek comfort from uncomfortable feelings – physical or emotional.  Food, caffeine, cigarettes, fizzy drinks, alcohol, pain killers, T.V., work, shopping, gambling, porn, sex and drugs are all common forms of self-medicating.   They vary in severity but anyone of them in excess will have negative effect on the body/mind. They all give a short term high or escape from physical or emotional discomfort. But the positive effects are short lived and often can leave the person feeling very flat and empty and the original discomfort in the body can become more sever. Thus creating a need to find something else to ‘perk them up’ e.g. more food, more alcohol, another bet etc.  It is a mistake not acknowledge the true cause of the discomfort in the first place.  Physical and emotional pain are the body’s red light warning signals – if you continue to drive around in your body for long enough without addressing the warning signals the discomfort will  eventually show up as sickness.  

The long term, physical and mental symptoms from ‘self-medicating’ can arise in many forms such as: insomnia, constipation, weight gain/loss, sore knees, headaches, skin disorders, pre/diabetes, thyroid problems, high blood pressure, IBS, immune system disorders, depression or anxiety.  Then people seek help from their doctor hoping for an instant fix in the form of a 'magic pill', cream or operation.  Prescribed medicines can help to manage the symptoms of the illness, but do not address the underlying reasons that caused the emotions/symptoms in the first place.  If the root cause is not discovered and they continue mistreating their bodies they can be sure that further health problems will crop up in the future.  And in no time they will be back at the doctor looking for answers.

 

So if the ‘red light is flashing’ or you can feel you are not ‘running’ quite right, pull over and take some time to evaluate what is going on in your life.  Take a step back from yourself and think about: how you have been fuelling yourself? Is your water topped up? Have you over filled the oil?  Is the pressure in your tyres too high?  Have you been driving too fast? When was the last time you used to hand brake and stopped for a while?  Do you need an MOT?  Be brave and look in the boot/trunk- are you driving around with around extra emotional baggage? Take a look under the bonnet/hood -  How is the engine running – is it clear and smooth or is it clogged up with gunk (old thoughts)?  Have you worn out your tyres? Be honest with yourself and acknowledge and address how you really are.  If you find it hard to think about yourself 'kindly' ask someone who cares for you how they think you are managing life.  Sometimes people on the outside can see what is happening more easily.

 

When you are honest with yourself, you may decide it is time to ditch the self-medication and tackle the root of the problems.

 

 
 

 Tips for changing self-medication habits

-Drink lots of water to flush toxins out of your cells.  

-Eat nutritious food to boost your brain and fuel your body.
-Develop a daily habit of mindful relaxation/meditation
(start with just 5 minutes). There are lots of free clips on you Tube or download a meditation  App onto your phone or simply set an alarm clock for 5 minutes and just try to relax and turn off the ‘little voice in your head’ for a while.
-Keep an eye on your inner voice, keep it positive- dismiss any negative chitter chatter
-Move ... go for a walk/jog or go for a swim or a bike ride.
-Spend some time in the fresh air or day light if possible.
-Get a good night’s sleep, turn off your computer/phone /tablet etc. an hour before you plan to sleep, read a book or have a bath.
-Take a mini nap around lunch if you can, even 5 min with your eyes shut. This will give your brain a little break.
-Spend quality time around positive people and people you love

-Try to laugh each day – watch some comedy!
-Cut down of the caffeine/alcohol/processed sugar/chocolate - they are all stimulants and will make you feel worse in the long run, when abused.
Avoid trying to cover up the emotional and physical problems with self-medication.  In the long, if neglected the problems will just snowball.  Don’t wait until you are really sick to make positive changes, make them today! 

If you have any questions or want to contact me email me at -
foodmoodhealthhappiness@gmail.com