GPS to a Joyful Marriage

Last week in my article on thankfulness, I touched on the struggles many of us face during the holidays.  It can be a depressing time for a number of people who would prefer to sleep through these jolly times.  I feel compelled to share, again, on another avenue to depression that is a major part of this holiday – what we eat.  I know I have shared numerous times in the past about the power of sugar and how it causes depression in me.  Last week I discovered another food that gives me the same reaction – so it’s not just sugar.  I’ve known that any foods causing sensitivities or allergies can create inflammation in your body - the whole reason I started this food journey.  What I didn’t know was that inflammation depletes your serotonin levels which causes depression.  I’ve been aware that nuts upset my stomach, so I eat them in very small amounts.  Last Sunday I bought some fresh-off-the-tree pecans that I couldn’t keep my hands off...

While shopping at the grocery store this past weekend, Rick grabbed numerous bags of candy for Trick or Treaters on Halloween.  I looked at the candy in the cart and said, “Hmmm.  It seems you only bought candy that you can eat.” He looked at me and replied, “Of course!” “Maybe I want some,” I quietly whined. His look displayed shear panic as he responded, “But you hate me after you’ve eaten too much sugar!” “Ha ha ha ha ha!” I cackled (much like the Wicked Witch of the West), but then I immediately winced at his abrupt candor regarding my sugar issues. Almost two years ago, I changed my eating habits and have had phenomenal improvements in my health.  While fasting from sugar for a forty day period, I discovered that I had no depression during that time.  I have struggled with bouts of depression all of my adult life.  I always chalked it up to PMS or life’s circumstances.  In spite of PMS and the same circumstances, that deep pit of d...

Looking back at two different times of struggling with major depression in my life, I realize they were both caused by an external substance.  We moved to Australia in the summer of 2000 (their winter.)  I was ecstatic to be there.  My depression prior to that usually stemmed from living away from my family, and Australia was the farthest we’d ever been.  Even so, I recall feeling pity for a couple preparing to leave this wonderful place; I was actually grateful to live there and dealing very well with the distance from home.  A year later though, I was deep in depression. I couldn’t figure out what caused my depression, and eventually, I started doing some research online.  I discovered that high blood pressure medicines sometimes triggered depression.  I had been prescribed one the year before, and sure enough, the one I took identified depression as a side effect.  I went to my doctor (who was unaware of this side effect) and she changed m...

During our Grace Group meeting last night (these are people from our church who gather at our home once a month), we got into an interesting conversation about faith (among other things.)  I was amazed at how my suspicions about women and men played out right before my eyes.  It confirmed my desire to talk in depth about women, in particular, and depression.  I may not have a degree by my name for qualifications, but I have years of experience (and the Internet at my fingertips) to back me up.  (Not to mention an amazing God who will always guide my writing.) One woman began discussing her occasional struggle with feeling down and her inability to “snap out of it”.  The other ladies (and I) chimed in with “I know what you mean!” and “Sometimes there are no reasons for these feelings!”  We began discussing how we all fall into moments, hours and sometimes days where we can’t get “out of the funk”.  We pray, we read our Bible, we cry out to God – bu...

I’m always reminded about the biggest problem I see in churches when we are signing up couples for one of our marriage seminars – people are fearful of revealing their faults and struggles when they step through the church doors.  Inevitably, I will hear at least one person say to me, “We don’t really need this seminar,” as they are writing their name on our sign-up sheet.  There are some acceptable problems we feel comfortable sharing in the church environment, but most of those are caused by an external matter such as the loss of money or a job, illness, your spouse has left you, etc.  Rarely though, will people share their self-rooted issues, such as a troubled marriage, for fear of being judged as a not-so-righteous Christian.   I believe some church goers tend to be judgmental with each other because it makes their own deep, dark secrets seem not as bad.  Not all church goers are judgmental, but it only takes a few to bring discord.   Oft...