The Traveled Road Of Depression And Anxiety – Guest Post By Carrie Smith

I enjoy sharing the stories of those who have conquered their inner demons and found peace, joy, and purpose through a proper healthy lifestyle.  We’re all unique.  Our struggles are all a little different.  I think there is something to be gained/learned from each one.  I actually met Carrie through Facebook.  She has a healthy living Facebook page with the tagline, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  Sound familiar?  Yep, great minds think alike.  I messaged her and we’ve been getting to know each other ever since.  I asked her if she’d write a guest post, sharing her own story.  She was more than happy.  She asked if it was ok if she mentioned beach body.  While I am not affiliated with beach body, I told her it was completely fine.  I feel like beach body is a huge part of her story in a very positive way.  If it’s something you are interested in, she has provided her contact information.

Carrie Smith

*www.facebook.com/CarriesmithCoach

* csmith8407@gmail.com

* www.beachbodycoach.com/CarrieSmith8407

* Instagram: Carriesmithcoach

The Traveled Road of Depression and Anxiety

Looking back, my whole life I’ve cared what others thought. It shaped who I was up until recently. Opinions of other people caused me, I believe, to suffer from anxiety and depression for more than a decade. But I’m not alone; about 7% of the US population suffers from major depression, and about 18% of the population has an anxiety disorder (adaa.org). These disorders are treatable, it just depends on what works for you. Healthy eating, exercise, and the Beachbody company has been my treatment. Let me tell you who I’d been up until this point.

I remember starting to care what people thought about me when I was in high school. I had glasses and I was “bigger” than my friends. I was never the girl that had boyfriends, but all my friends did. I was picked on a lot, mostly because of having thick glasses. It’s from high school forward that I have cared so much what people thought of me that I forgot to find MY purpose in life.

I went on to find an amazing husband, and I quickly got pregnant with our first child. It was after our daughter was born that I became very interested in health and fitness. I would read new diet books all the time. At that point, mostly I just wanted to lose the baby weight. It was not necessarily about the health aspect. From that point on, I became a yo-yo dieter, and an over exerciser. I became an all or nothing kind of girl when it came to my diet and exercise. I was either counting calories or starving myself, or eating whatever I wanted (which means an entire container of ice cream or a whole big bag of candy). Essentially, I was a mild version of a binge eater. I felt horrible most of the time. It was a constant battle in my head…”I want to be skinny, I’m fat, I’m ugly, I’m unhappy. You name it, I was thinking it. I was pretty low at that point.

In the past I had tried many different therapists but I never felt that I was getting anything out of it. I’d been on numerous depression/anxiety medications throughout the years, which helped, but I felt as though I was masking the real issues. I knew I always felt my “best” when I was eating better and exercising. But I was still trapped beneath all the excuses I had made for myself. So the final “treatment” I tried was alcohol. It started with casual drinks and ended up being a routine. Every night I would have 3-4 glasses of wine. EVERYDAY. It would mask my thoughts. It made me “happy.” I knew in the back of my mind that what I was doing was not good. I knew I had a problem but I didn’t want to admit it. About 6 months ago, I had some weird health things going on. I had a bunch of tests over a months’ time. It was very scary because the doctors couldn’t explain what was going on. One doctor ended up telling me I was an alcoholic. This was a big slap in the face. It got me thinking that maybe these health issues were being caused by my depression and anxiety, and my eating and drinking habits. I remember thinking,”I’ll be damned if my habits are going to cause me to be so unhealthy.” I don’t want my kids growing up with an unhealthy mother.

I made a decision…to be done with excuses and finally make a lifestyle change. Not a diet, not hours at the gym…but a sustainable change. Beachbody. I bought a Beachbody program, got a coach, and joined a challenge group. It has changed my life. I exercise every day for about a half hour. I drink a superfood

shake called Shakeology once a day. This shake has made a huge difference in how I feel. I practice portion control with my eating. I have made some supportive friends who are motivational and encouraging. I have never felt better. I’m happy and I look forward to my life. I feel healthier than I;ve ever felt. My yo-yo dieting has come to an end. Some days are struggles of course, but I’m finding healthier ways of dealing with these. I have become a Beachbody coach because I want to help other people go through their journey, and make healthier choices. This is my calling. My passion for health and fitness is to help other people feel better about themselves.

Benefits of Healthy Eating

* Certain nutrients improve mood

* Improves mood

* Controls weight

* Combats disease

* Boosts energy

Benefits of Exercise on Depression and Anxiety

* Improved self-esteem due to an increase in endorphins

* Reduced stress

* Ward off anxiety and depression

* Improved sleep

* Increase in energy

* Strengthens the heart

**By the way, for those interested, Carrie’s Beach Body team is getting ready to do a FREE clean eating challenge.  Message her on Facebook for details!**