Movement & Yoga

{This was originally published one year ago…}

Depression is a very prevalent mental disorder affecting 340 million people globally and is projected to become the leading cause of disability and the second leading contributor to the global burden of disease by the year 2020.

(And here we are amidst a global pandemic #Covid19… wow, just WOW!!!)

While we think of depression as more a mental health issue, it also affects your physical health and well-being – in more ways than you can probably imagine!

Having experienced depression myself in the past, I can attest to the fact that it’s a full-body experience. Interestingly, living with chronic anxiety and depression is what actually got me into remedial massage, yoga, and holistic & functional movement as a profession as I personally experienced the healing powers of these “touch therapies” myself.  

Let’s learn more about some of the most common symptoms of depression, including how it can affect your entire body, especially if left untreated.

Please remember that if you’re experiencing symptoms of depression — you are not alone, there is nothing “wrong” with you, and there IS support for you!

Here’s what Social Psychologist, Amy Cuddy had to say about this in her 2012 TedTalk “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are”

“Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Power posing — that is, standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can boost feelings of confidence, and might have an impact on our chances for success.”

That is so… POWERFUL!

Interestingly, Amy’s research on body language reveals that we can change other people’s perceptions – and perhaps even our own body chemistry, simply by changing body positions.

Doesn’t it make you feel more confident when you just stand a little taller, and not slumped forward with your eyes looking toward the ground?

I sure do! I feel like freakin’ Wonder Woman, in fact!

This is Part 2 of a two-part series on STRESS and how it impacts your health, body, AND your mind…

Being chronically stressed (as in being in a state of nonstop, unrelenting stress!), as so many of us are these days – you might think that it only affects your nervous system.

After all, that’s where you perceive it to be in abundance – because it’s quite literally is unnerving!

But, the truth of the matter is that stress can also compromise most of your major body systems, including:

• the digestive system
• the immune system
• the reproductive system
• other major organs
• even your posture and alignment