Recovery From Normal
Just over 2 weeks ago I completed the
most grueling bike race in my experience thus far – the infamous and legendary
Leadville Trail 100. I’ve already
written of my experiences of such, with its tremendous highs and lows,
struggles and overall sense of overcoming extreme adversity and the amazing
lessons associated with this. Basically,
it served up a hefty dose of whoopin which took me to a very deep and dark
place for many hours – this is what I look for in these ultra-endurance races
because this is where I need to go to learn more about who I truly am. The result of this is best explained as True
Bliss; not because of accomplishment, ranking, placement nor accolades, but
because of what I have learned. It is a
surreal sense of well-being, pure joy and connection with all and everyone –
Heaven, really.
One of the unfortunate side-effects of
these races with me is ‘The Dip’ which occurs about 2 weeks after my big
races. It is best described as a deep
dark depressive hole from which I find it very difficult to escape. Because the after-glow-feel-good effect of
elevated endorphins (dopamine and serotonin) is so intensively high in the week
following these events, the supply gets exhausted and I crash….resulting in
depressive symptoms. This manifests as lethargy,
reclusiveness, less desire to participate in activities, an aversion to
exercise, lack of engagement with my wife and kids, less focus at work, wanting
to sleep in and avoid my morning time practice of prayer and meditation. This hit me like a freight train this
morning…and it sucks…
In previous years I have been stuck in
this for many weeks and it only gets harder to escape as time goes on. So after a few hours of personal pity-party
this morning, I cowboy’d-up, put on my Five Fingers and went for a 1 hour trail
run on one of my favourite routes.
Initially, my mind fought it but after about 30 minutes the shift
towards joy started. Awesome, I have
‘slayed the dragon’ early this time!
On this run, it was revealed to me the
beauty of experiencing this. I caught a
brief glimpse of the depressive symptoms that many in our society live with
everyday – this is the sad reality and normal
for many adults and kids. The effect of the endorphin rush from my run this
morning with its amazing feelings of joy was not a boost for me – it was a
return to my version of normal, to what I experience every day.
This reveals some basic truths about
depressive symptoms. Contrary to common
beliefs, they are not due to ‘chemical imbalances’ nor ‘bad genes’, but rather
due to lifestyle imbalances. As taught in our office, it is critical to
continually work on improving how we Eat, Move and Think as taught by Dr. James
Chestnut to build a strong foundation in health. This is what supports proper nerve function,
balanced hormone levels, ideal endorphin levels and decreases neurological
stress which causes spinal subluxations (misalignments). As Chiropractors we do not treat depression,
however, by educating people to make improved lifestyle decisions and by
optimizing neurological function by adjusting the spine the body will heal and
return to its natural state of health.
This is what everyone deserves and why everyone needs Chiropractic care!
Wishing you Peace,
Dr Mike.
whoa...like birth. i went to that dark place and rose up to find out who i truly was by giving more than i thought i could.
ReplyDeleteby the way...new mothers also have elevated endorphins and i have read that to help prevent ppd she should be surrounded by extra love... especially around the two week mark.