When It's Too Much

When It’s Just Too Much
April 16, 2009 San Antonian’s woke up to a much needed rainy day in our vastly populated colorful city! Most Antonian’s are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming Fiesta Week! For us, this is the week between April 16th and April 24th when the entire city of San Antonio PARTIES – or FIESTAS – It’s the annual citywide celebration to chase away the blues, welcome spring, and celebrate the city’s colorful diversity and culture with fun and events for the entire family!
What happens though, when the blues just don’t get chased away fast enough? There has been an alarming trend in adult depression with suicidal tendencies. Just this morning as we woke up to the rain and anticipation for Fiesta; we also woke up to the news of a man jumping from a high bridge off Interstate-10 into traffic. How awfully horrifying for this man who must have felt that there was nowhere else to turn. What happens in our lives when it’s just too much? How can we deal with depression? This is an age-old question.
As a minister and a naturopathic consultant, I have come to understand a great deal about depression. There are many underlying roots that cause a person’s depression, and I truly believe that most people are afraid to seek professional care, which is why depression escalates and goes untreated. Clients need a safe zone in order to speak freely, and not feel threatened. They need to feel that what they are expressing is in total confidence; that if they express emotions of suicide, they won’t be ‘locked up.’
In addition to having a safe zone to express one’s self, it is also important for the person who is depressed to seek ways to exercise more often. Find ways to think thoughts that are more positive each day, start to pray, eat healthier, and take supplements. These are some ways to begin the path to overcome depression. In the safe zone with a counselor, one can then begin addressing the issues that seem so overwhelming. It is also my belief that more than 45 minutes should be taken with a client because through my research it takes just AT 45 minutes to just begin opening up. I recommend working with each client a minimum of one hour and 15 min. Perhaps if our society lent a more compassionate hand towards people suffering with depression, more patients would not become so overwhelmed. We may see a decrease in suicides, and a decrease in depression and an increase in the healing rate without the prescription meds, which have such harmful effects.

© Rachelle Navarro, MHHP, PhD
TxsNaturalHealing, LLC
TxsNatrualHealing@satx.rr.com