No Time for Depression: Insights, Knowledge, Strength, Courage, & Inspiration

By Dr. Barbara Ann Ellicott

Many folks suffer from situational depression which can rob one of life's joys, adversely affect family, careers, relationships, and health. This book presents the means by which one can overcome his/her situational depression if he/she is motivated to do so.

Dr. Ellicott presents specific suggestions for overcoming depression, which not only helped her, but which worked for many of her patients, as well.

We cannot always control what hand life deals us, but we have a choice as to how we respond. This book may inspire you to live your best life and embrace true happiness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9781469100197

Dr. Barbara Ann Ellicott

Dr. Barbara Ellicott suffered two life-threatening experiences and lives a healthy normal life to talk about them thanks her healthy life style which included a plant-based diet! Her motivation to write this book came from a fervent desire to give back the gifts which she had been given which emphasized a plant-based diet in the hope that she might be able to help others to prevent and/or reverse conditions/diseases by following her example and that of her mentors. This prevention and/or reversal can occur naturally at any age and Dr. Ellicott is living proof! At 68 years YOUNG she is registered to be in the Vienna City Marathon this April, 2010! This will be her 9th full marathon (26.2 miles) and her 4th since cardiologists informed her in 2004 that she would never be able to race-walk or run more than one mile a day for the rest of her life! Professionally, Dr. Ellicott is a licensed speech language-pathologist, who has been granted multiple awards for continuing education, is a NJ Certified School Psychologist, Teacher of Psychology, Learning Consultant, Teacher of the Disabled, Principal, Supervisor, and Teacher of Arts & Drama. School Speech Specialist. She is a member American Speech-Language & Hearing Association and holds several Awards for Continuing Education. She is in numerous Who's Who's, and is listed in the National Distinguished Registry-Speech & Hearing. She is a mom of four adult vegetarian children who served, among others, as her inspiration.

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Copyright © 2009 by Dr. Barbara Ann Ellicott.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The information contained in this book is not intended as medical advice. It is to be regarded as a helpful guide for persons suffering from situational depression as distinguished from chemical imbalance and neuropsychiatric pathologies.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

51205

Contents

FOREWORD

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

APPENDICES

APPENDIX (A)

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX (C)

APPENDIX (D)

APPENDIX (E)

APPENDIX (F)

APPENDIX (G)

APPENDIX (H)

APPENDIX (I)

REFERENCES

FOREWORD

BRINGING MY

NEW READERS UP TO DATE

My discovered secrets are truly worth sharing. Prior to catastrophic things happening in my life, I was, indeed, a skeptic and had difficulty accepting the fact that things happen in our lives for a purpose—yes even some of the most physically and mentally excruciating painful ones!

For my readers who haven’t read Discovered Secrets: A Self-Metamorphosis, I will bring you up to date so that this sequel might have more meaning. In my first chapter The Attack, I share the terrifying experience I had with a pit bull! which left me immobile for quite a long period of time. I was told that I’d never run again due to permanent nerve damage etc. Consequently, I became quite depressed, gained lots of weight, had soaring BP and cholesterol! At the time I didn’t wholly understand author William Wordsworth who wrote, The child is father of the man Now I do! I learned that we adults should practice swallowing our pride and open our minds to words of wisdom which may very well come from our children! When I did this and followed the advice of my children by going to the World Vegetarian Congress in Toronto, I received an invaluable education about nutrition! I learned how we NEVER have to consume animals or animal products for maximum health. In fact, I learned that it is the consuming of animal products that is responsible for ever so many heath problems. When I modified my diet, lo and behold, miraculous changes occurred with my body! For example, I lost a lot of wt. My BP normalized and my cholesterol dropped from over 200 to 140 within less than two months! Unbelievable! I thought.

Motivated by the above success from adopting the plant-based diet, I continued this life style plus daily exercise for ten years. I also discovered how extremely powerful spirituality is! Belief in a higher power plus daily exercise and a plant-based diet is a trio that is more powerful than all the traditional medicines and medical predictions.

Just ten years later, I, unknowingly, contracted Lyme Disease. Because it had gone unnoticed and untreated, it damaged the left side of my heart! However, because I had been a vegan (consumed a plant-based diet) for the past ten years my cardio-vascular system, I have been told, is like that of a healthy 30 year old. Had I had the usual cholesterol which most 66 yr. olds have accrued, I would not have survived! (Animal and animal

products = cholesterol. Plant based diet = NO CHOLESTEROL!) Also, because I had been a runner for years, my respiratory system was like that of a much younger person. Not realizing the above, so many traditional doctors placed me in the same category as a typical 66 year old cardiac patient. They told me, no more than max of one mile a day of exercise for the rest of your life! However, I was blessed with having had a wonderfully insightful and highly experienced Filipino physical therapist, Farida Adoro, whose background in cardiology surpassed that of many U.S. trained doctors! She believed that endurance training would prepare me for even a full marathon… and it did!!! Thanks to her belief in me etc, I completed a full marathon (26.2 miles and 385 yds.) the following Fall following my physical therapy!

* Diet, exercise, spirituality, passion, friendships and folks who believe in you are antidotes for situational depression!

CHAPTER 1

THE FIRST STEP

In an effort to determine whether you’re ready to take the first step, ask yourself if you feel depressed, isolated, like you’re in a ‘stuck place’, like life seems to be passing you buy, that you’re very lonely, feel inferior, unappreciated, betrayed, and feel that you’re getting nowhere but worse from professional treatment. The second question to ask yourself is if you’re ready for change. Perhaps a loved one (including pet(s)) recently passed away and you’re still grieving. If that’s the case, by all means you should take the time to complete the grieving process, the length of which varies among individuals. Having said that I might add that some individuals might mistake fear of change for multiple YEARS of grieving! The fear might be attributed to the other depressing feelings as mentioned above.

Some individuals may not consciously be aware that they’re in a ‘victim’ position. Such folks are often MOST resistant to help or change. How do I know? Because I’ve been there!! And for too long!

Is this ‘victimized’ person simply a stubborn mule and obstinate? NO, not at ALL! He/she subconsciously has a justifiable reason to stay put, again due to the reasons cited above (and to me for too long) life is a scary place. In more cases than not, as in mine, it is behavioral pattern. As a result of our negative/hurtful experiences, environment, relations, it feels comfortable; remaining in cocoons, where it is safe, so we think… safer than taking risks! It is our way of defending ourselves against pain. However, we ‘victims’ may easily be exploited, as I had discovered, while in this sheltered’ place. As a result our fragile self-esteem