Depression and Vitamin D: I’ve been in a funk this summer

Recently I was reminded about the importance of Vitamin D and how depression and Vitamin D are so closely related to each other…  

So it's been a weird summer and I've been in a funk.  Maybe even a mild depression, which is not like me at all!  I haven't voiced it out loud to Kent or my family or friends very much, mostly because I was sick of the voices in my own head and I didn't want to do that to anyone else.  I haven't been sleeping as much as I should, so that's part of it, because I've been working more than normal trying to finish my book revision.  (I wanted to fix some things in Real Food for Rookies that were bugging me.)

Moms, you know the guilt that comes with working a lot…  

Those voices reminding us that they're only young once, and why can't I do better at keeping all these balls in the air, and that dreaded phrase:  other moms seem to keep it all together just fine, why can't I?

Then there's all the shenanigans I told you about recently with Google, Facebook and Instagram playing games with their algorithms.  They've always done this to a degree, but it's worse than normal, which is affecting my traffic and income, meager as it already was, and making it even more scary, wondering if my little business will survive.

The worst part was the extra guilt I had from being in a funk over such things, when so many others have REAL problems!

I knew I had to get back to gratefulness and find peace as I had before, but I just couldn't seem to get out of this funk.

Then one day Kasey and I met some friends at a local beach.  With the length of my to-do list it's never easy to stop working and just go, but once we did, it was good getting out and being with friends.  While we were there, though, a couple negative things came out of my mouth that made me think again, “Wow, that isn't even LIKE me…”

We got a lot of sun that day — I had Kasey put on sunscreen, but I forgot to put it on myself…  (I didn't burn, we just moved to shade once we had enough.)

That night at 11:30 pm the weirdest thing happened.  I know the exact time because there was such an obvious shift in my brain…

It's like a fog cleared and I finally felt like me again.  I said to myself, “Enough of the negative self-talk.  You have a really good life.  Yes you have a lot to get done right now, but you'll get done what has to get done.  Start enjoying the moments, Kel!  What's the worst that could happen?  You don't make your book revision deadline?  Oh well!  Your publisher probably won't even care if it's late.  Your blog might go under?  Whatever!  At least Kent has a great job and God will bring something better along anyway, like Beautycounter — at least that's going well.  Just enjoy your Hubs and kids and the abundance of close family and good friends you're blessed with!”

And you know what?

That was a couple of weeks ago and since then if I start to “go there” in my brain and feel overwhelmed, I make a conscious decision to STOP.  I take some of this remedy along with Vitamin D and CLO (and I already take this probiotic daily which is so important for gut health), then I go sit in the sun and say to myself, “Trust in Jesus.  You have a great life.  Things will work out.”

And it works!  My self-talk tries to jump in and say, “What about _______?  Things haven't yet worked out for them!”  So you know what I say to myself then?  “Yep, it's horrible, and we may never know this side of heaven WHY so many crappy things happen to some people.  Keep praying for them and keep trusting in God anyway.  He never promised us an easy life.  But that doesn't mean that we should sabotage the good that's going on in our lives NOW!  We need to enjoy the blessings in each moment, help others every chance we get, and trust that God will get us through the junk when it happens.”

Why was I able to pull myself out of that negativity at 11:30pm that day and in the coming days, and not the weeks prior?

My theory is that I was very low on Vitamin D!  I had been forgetting my supplements more often than not (Vitamin D and cod liver oil, which also has Vitamin D in it) and also wasn't outside in the sun much since I was working inside so much.

So if YOU go through a funk, try this:

• Get outside in the sun, or even better, take a walk out there and you'll get two mood-boosters in one!  (Call a friend to catch up while you walk or give your soul another boost and say some prayers, now you'll be a multi-tasking extraordinaire!)
• If you can't do that, at least take these Vitamin D caps.     IMPORTANT — read this first:  What you MUST do if you take Calcium or Vitamin D.
• Start or continue taking these probiotics, because the gut and the brain are SO connected.
• And take cod liver oil which also has Vitamin D, plus it balances out your fatty acids so you just feel more balanced — it really works!  (Read more here:  My all natural chill-pill for anxiety.)
• If you feel overwhelmed, and especially if you're weepy, start taking this remedy twice/day (200 potency) until you're feeling better.

Still in a funk (or worse) and can't pull yourself out?  There's still HOPE!  There are many more natural options to try, so don't give up!

Go through this post on how to beat anxiety and depression naturally!  I'd have looked at that sooner, but didn't even realize at the time what a funk I was in, I thought I was just overwhelmed.

I'm curious, do you ever struggle with that negative self-talk too?  Does everyone?

Why I like this Vitamin D best:

• They use the Cholecalciferol Form – D3.  This is the same form that our body creates when our skin is exposed to sunshine.  So it is the most bioactive and bioavailable.  You will see some products that use D2 (caliciferol) – this tends to not work as well as it is not the form our body naturally produces.  (Full disclosure – Cholecalciferol is made from the fat of lamb’s wool.  Shearing the wool from lambs does not harm them though!  D2 is made from irradiating fungus – so it's vegan friendly, but I’m not a big fan of eating irradiated things.)
• There are no other ingredients – flow agents, fillers, etc.
• Plus it has 5,000 IU in one soft gel with 360 soft gels in a bottle…all for $18.95.  Even less now because it's on sale AND you get more off with my KOP coupon code — this works out to less than 5 cents a day for 5,000 IU of D3!

By the way, here are my other favorites from Perfect Supplements, use the code KOP to get a discount anytime:

Everything they sell is all natural (nothing synthetic!), minimally processed and packed with nutrients, so there are no bad choices.

• Vitamin D caps (I like these especially in winter when I'm not getting it from the sun, as mentioned above!)
• MCT oil (for more energy, to assist weight loss, and to combat brain fog!), read more here about why it's better and how I use it:  MCT Oil Q&A.

• Liver detox caps (helps your liver keep your immune system strong)
• Desiccated liver caps (because none of us eat enough of this nutrient-dense superfood)
• Coconut oil (best in my popcorn)

• Collagen powder (in our superfood smoothies, soups, or even my favorite oatmeal)

• Grass-fed gelatin (which I use in my yummy cranberry gelatin)
• My favorite lip balm (goes on soooo smoothly)
• Also cod liver oil!  (Or this is a good one too.)
• …and MORE that I haven't mentioned.  You can also get free shipping for orders over $99.

Happy shopping!

One more thing…

• Did you know that when you buy through the links on my site it helps me keep the wheels on the blog?  Plus Perfect Supplements products are so trustworthy, it's a win-win if you decide to stock up!
• Again, don't forget to go through this post on how to beat anxiety and depression naturally, maybe you know someone who needs that information?