Resilience
The Chemistry of Calm: Restoring the Elements of a Resilient Life
Creating the Chemistry of Calm
Posted October 4, 2010
Welcome to The Chemistry of Calm blog, where I hope to engage you in conversations about how to settle your mind, restore healthy emotions and reclaim a life fully lived. Ironically, I find myself vaguely nervous as I embark on this, my first ever blog.
Yes, I've written two books, but I still feel some slight anxiety as I try something new, take on unfamiliar technology, put myself out there in a somewhat more vulnerable way. I do practice what I preach (mostly), but that doesn't stop me from feeling insecure from time to time.
You see, I've learned to accept my frailties (again, mostly), and live a full and vibrant life even if they don't entirely go away. I have come to believe that anyone can do that, even if one has lived with illness, such as anxiety or depression, for years or even decades. And it is not just my own personal experience that leads me to believe that.
As an integrative (holistic) psychiatrist, I have worked with thousands of patients, many with severe, even disabling conditions. Like most psychiatrists, I have become adept at treating people with medications. But I seldom see medications as the answer. Often they help, to some degree. Just as often, I believe that they can make things worse. Whichever is true, there are other factors that seem necessary for genuine healing and recovery.
As you probably know, anxiety, depression and other stress-related conditions are rampant problems that appear to affect a greater percentage of us all the time. No one is immune to these problems, and if they last, they are not only unpleasant, but also depleting. It is no wonder that so many turn to prescription medications-it's worth trying anything that might relieve the suffering.
Yet I see more and more and more people who have tried all the usual remedies without getting long-term relief, and they come with a simple yearning: "I want to know what I can do for myself to feel better." Sadly, these people who are hungering for guidance are at a loss as to where to find it.
What are the elements of a resilient life?
I believe that it is our nature to be resilient, to be able to face the stresses and losses that life inevitably places before us and still maintain a sense of equanimity, emotional steadiness, calm. More than that, we can muster the ability to respond to those life events in a skillful and effective way. That is what should be natural to us, but there are so many things that can and do erode our birthright gift of resilience.
To reclaim it, I like to think of seven different aspects of ourselves that we need to attend to if we wish to find an effective pathway to recovery. I call these the "Seven Roots of Resilience":
1. Balancing Brain Chemistry
2. Managing Energy
3. Aligning with Nature
4. Calming the Mind
5. Skillfully Facing Emotions
6. Cultivating a Good Heart
7. Creating Deep Connections
These Seven Roots of Resilience are all essential aspects of who we are as vital and healthy human beings. The Resilience Model forms the basis of my new book, The Chemistry of Calm: A Powerful, Drug-Free Plan to Quiet Your Fears and Overcome Your Anxiety.
This model does not offer a simplistic approach, like the notion that everyone with anxiety or depression needs a prescription for an SSRI or a certain form of therapy. That's because we humans are complex, multi-faceted beings. We need a model that is as full and rich as we are.
Throughout this blog, I intend to bring this model to life and begin to offer some guidance for living a resilient life. The focus will be upon developing positive, healthy inner qualities that build upon strengths that we already have. The roots of resilience, when properly nurtured, can help us create the life we are longing for. When we feel better, more alive and engaged, there is less room for anxiety or depression to take over our lives.
For deeper knowledge, I hope you will read The Chemistry of Calm, as well as my first book, The Chemistry of Joy: A Three-Step Program to Overcome Depression Through Western Science and Eastern Wisdom.
Also, visit my website, partnersinresilience.com, where my colleagues and I have created helpful resources to support you on your journey back to resilience.
