How I overcame depression - in a nutshell! ~ {Dr Leaf explains how I did this!}

Me and Dr Caroline Leaf

A few weekends ago, I had the privilege of attending a morning where Dr Caroline Leaf was the speaker.

Dr. Caroline Leaf received her training in Communication Pathology (BSC Logopaedics) at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Dr Leaf also holds a Masters degree and Phd in Communication Pathology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Since 1981, Dr. Caroline Leaf has researched the human brain with particular emphasis on unlocking its vast, untapped potential. She as specifically focused on the cognitive neuroscientific aspects of TBI/CHI (Traumatic brain injury/Closed head Injury) and the science of thought as it relates to thinking, learning and renewing the mind, gifting and potential. http://drleaf.com/about.php 

 I have been following Dr Leaf on Twitter and reading her blogs for 2 years now and find her research fascinating. I particularly love that she shows how science has now caught up with what the Word of God has said all along.

After I overcame depression, it was always on my heart to share my story of how I overcame, in the hope that others may find inspiration for themselves to do the same. But I am acutely aware that no two stories of how we fall into depression and how we overcome it are the same. There are so many factors that can lead you into depression: chemical imbalance, poor eating habits, stress, poor health, incorrect thoughts etc. To overcome depression, there is no formula - everyone's journey out is different. I struggled to articulate what I exactly did to overcome depression, as my memory of the time is pretty hazy, as can be common with depression.

In a nutshell, I looked at all 3 areas of my life - body (exercise, eating habits), soul (thoughts, emotions, intellect, mind) and spirit (worship, faith, conscience, intuition).
This is how I overcame depression:

• I started changing my eating habits and adding exercise to my routine. 
• I changed the way I looked at myself and learned to love who God made me - imperfections and all. 
• I started to blog and 'learned how to fly'! 
• I started seeing myself as the new creation that I was and stopped seeing myself as I was before I was born-again. 
• I learned to replace the seeds of lies in my heart with God's truth. 
• I started to worship God despite the black cloud that seemed to be my constant companion. 
• I started to believe in a God who loved me just the way I am and understand His grace. 

What I found really interesting while listening to Dr Leaf, was that I was now finally understood how I overcame depression. I was rewiring my brain all those years ago, and I didn't know it! This was a huge factor in overcoming my depression. Every time I chose to stop (or take captive) the lies  in my thoughts, I was rewiring my brain. Every time I had a new understanding or revelation of His grace towards me, I was rewiring my brain. Every time I chose to trust that He loved me unconditionally, I was rewiring my brain. Every time I chose to worship Him despite how I felt at the time, I was rewiring my brain.

Dr Leaf said in a study done by atheist scientists, it was concluded that the more you worship and pray, the more it increases your brain. Research has also found that patients who believed in a loving and benevolent God were able to increase their immune system dramatically. Those patients that had a relationship with Jesus had better health. She also said the quality of your cells are determined by the quality of your thought life. 75% of illnesses come through our thought life. 

The good news is, God designed the human brain that whatever you have wired in can be wired out. This is called neuro-plasticity. Dr Leaf said we can be our own neurosurgeon! I love that Dr Leaf explained that humans are actually wired for love, and we learn fear. Humans are born with an optimism bias and it is our natural inclination to recognise and reach for the future. We naturally see the bright side of things. Negative thinking is a learned behaviour. What was also interesting is that negative thought patterns go right down to our DNA and can be passed down to future generations. These negative thought patterns lay dormant inside us until they are woken up, or we kill the thought! That explains how we see our children think like us and how we at times think the same as our parents. 

If you get an opportunity, go and hear Dr Leaf speak. If that is not possible, google her you tube videos. She is very practical and clear in her teaching and I'm sure like me, you will have lots of "aha" and "wow" moments as you hear her explain the brain and your thought life. I am currently reading through her book, "Who Switched Off My Brain? I find this stuff fascinating!

It was nice to finally get an explanation of how I overcame depression - by rewiring my brain.

Still taking lessons from the King,