Cherrie

Hey Nikki and Diva. Not sure if I am allowed to post this information here but check it out. Nikki, panic attacks are real common among weight shedding.The panic attacks are old fears coming up. I can give more information if you like. However, here is something about depression you may enjoy. Another common question asked by many lapbanders is they start to express their confusion at feeling lethargic, having no energy, becoming more withdrawn, losing motivation and feeling even more depressed since having their lapband done, even though they have started to shift their layers. Ultimately this stems into frustration due to lack of understanding and even more depression. This comes as a surprise to most people who have gone through the lapband surgery because they believed it was their weight that made them unhappy and depressed. When the realisation comes that they have shifted weight and they feel worse instead of better, confusion and inner conflict starts setting in, even more questions start being asked and it becomes very messy, very quickly. So, to answer this question, firstly we must explore what ‘Depression’ is and is not. Depression is not a ‘Chemical Imbalance’ in the brain that needs a prescription of anti-depressants because no one has an anti-depressant deficiency. So let’s explore the cause of the symptoms instead of just treating the symptom. Quite often people with ‘depression’ tend to withdraw into their own world and become quite numb and detached from outside stimulus which causes the individual to reflect internally for extended periods of time. This is a natural process. Depression or to De-press-on. What is pressing down on an individual? A whole pile of questions and big loud “Why’s”. The loudest at this point tends to be “Why do I feel this way?” When too many questions are left unanswered for extended periods of time or when an individual thought an external factor would fill an internal void and it doesn’t, a big time out is needed to reassess the situation and the quickest way to find the answers is to look within. For lapbanders they have spent a majority of their life believing that their weight (external factor) was the cause of their unhappiness (internal void) and the reason something was missing from their life. When their weight starts to shift and the bander comes to the realisation that something is still missing, they start to ask a lot of ”Why’s” and need to go internally to reflect, reassess and redefine what is missing and what is valuable. When an individual can come back with their answers about what is valuable they can move forward in life to pursue that emotional value, which is what personal fulfilment is all about. Imagine you have an empty cup or glass. You ask yourself ”Why is it empty (most get stuck in this loop)?” the logical answer is because you haven’t put anything in it. What is missing? Something to put in it. Next question “What do I feel like drinking? Something hot or cold?” Depends on what you ‘feel’ like having at the time. So then you go in search of the drink you feel like having and fill it up and drink it and now you have an empty cup again. If you aren’t satisfied or it didn’t hit the spot, you have more or choose something else to drink. Depression is the same. You search within for the answer (because it is unique to you), understand what it is and then start searching for it on the outside with life experiences that gives you the emotion you value or crave and that fills up your cup. By working with me you can have a deliberate conversation about what is missing and what you are searching for because I will ask you the right questions and short cut the whole process, saving you time and a lot of anguish. The quality of our lives is directly linked to the quality of the questions we ask ourselves. If you are in your Self reflection mode you can try this 3 step process. 1. Print out the attached download, Qu2 Why am I more depressed since my lapband External Internal Form get yourself a pen and spend about 10 minutes answering as many of these two questions as possible. 2. Write down all the things that you believe are missing in your life. 3. Now address each one and ask yourself what would it give you inside emotionally if you had them. Remember, you want to understand what is missing for you internally so you can find a clear path, a light to start focusing on and walking towards externally. Life is about giving us an emotional experience. That is what you are seeking.

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Really curious how you all went? Nothing more was mentioned.