Get Out of the Funk!

Okay, so I haven’t posted an article in a while.  I have been busy, though, combining my seven years of blog writing into a year-long devotional for married couples.  I am in the process of publishing it as an Ebook so please stay tuned for further details!

I also plan to take a different direction with my blog.  Since I’ve written almost everything I know about marriage, I want to start doing webinars/video blogs.  I will have a live webinar once a week (on marriage and women) which will be open to questions from you that we will discuss.  I will record those sessions and use them as a video blog.  Please keep your eyes open for those details coming soon!

I do have one more article that has been on my heart.  (There may be more down the road.)  I know I promised to not get too preachy about nutrition and what you eat, but I have to share this new revelation with you. (A not so wonderful revelation at that.)

I have discussed, numerous times, the effect that sugar has on my mind.  It depresses me, so much that I struggle with functioning in life.  I stopped eating sugar a few years ago but would occasionally let it slip into my diet.  One or two mistakes was no big deal, but that once or twice often turned into more – and then depression.  Truly an addiction, sugar is a poison to our system and more difficult to overcome than a dependence on cocaine. 

And then I discovered maple syrup - the ever glorious, gold from a tree that quickly became my favorite flavor in the world.  Maple syrup offers numerous nutritional benefits without all the bad effects of sugar.  Yes, it has calories and can increase blood sugar, but it seemed like the ultimate sugar replacement.  Besides, I didn’t have blood sugar issues.  I used it for everything that needed sugar – and then some.

I rarely touched refined sugar this past year, but found I still struggled with depression.  In fact, it seemed to worsen.   I had a list of possible causes, never dreaming it could be maple syrup.  I thought it must have been the challenges we faced with Rick’s health or even more obvious, the loss of another grandbaby we hadn’t gotten to meet.  I thought I was in grief that I hadn’t been dealing with very well. 

I would wake in the morning with a weight on my heart.  I didn’t label it depression but a “funk”.  I couldn’t hold a positive thought.  I only dwelt on the negative.  I couldn’t find my joy.  I wanted to retreat to my room and talk to no one. 

When in this funk I did nothing but whine and complain to God and my husband.  I bombarded God with questions of “Why?” and constantly told him “I don’t understand!” When in this funk, I begged God to free me from this pit of despair. I

I didn’t want to go anywhere much less be around people.  I dwelt on the things God hasn’t done for me instead of what He may be preparing for me.  I dwelt on the things other people have that I don’t.  I had great difficulty working on my ministry, feeling it may be a waste of time.  I didn’t know if God was listening anyway.  I couldn’t hear His voice.

I struggled with this funk for a good part of my adult life.  I blamed it on PMS.  How many amazing opportunities did I miss out on because of my pity party I wallowed in? 

As I read back on this pathetic state of mind, I don’t understand how I could get that far into a pit and not be able to get out, even when I know the answers to help me.  Nothing seemed to work.  I could read my Bible and pray, but my heart was not in it.  I became wrapped in this vicious cycle of self-pity that only wanted to remind me why I felt so badly.  The only thing I could look forward to was waking up the next day with, hopefully, no funk over me.  I would get through the day as painlessly as possible until the fog lifted.

Now I don’t know about you, but I refuse to live my life like that anymore.  I sought out the help of a natural doctor, thinking it may be my crazy hormones.  Sure enough, it was, BUT she also told me I eat too much sugar.

WHAT!  I EAT TOO MUCH SUGAR??  What in the world was she talking about??  My self-righteous attitude about eating had refused to look at the problem of over-indulging in something as sanctimonious as maple syrup.  Along with the maple syrup, I ate too many bananas and berries, too.

How did I miss that?  I suppose I added more and more to my daily eating, as time passed, to the point that I was gluttonous with it.  Gluttony is eating or drinking in excess of what you need.  I certainly had begun to push the limits with my all-so-glorious maple syrup.

My heart ached when I realized that I may have been missing some of God’s blessings during my “funk” times.  How could He talk to me, or answer my prayers, or further my ministry when I chose to focus on my fleshly desires of sweetness instead of the sweetness and mercy of Him? 

How often do we run to the altar in tears begging God to heal us of this illness or that disease when we secretly indulge in fleshly desires that are nothing more than sin to Him?  Yes, we need to eat, but we also need to treat our bodies as temples and not coddle our cravings and desires to the point of excess.  We block our chances of God working in our lives when we do so.  Sin is sin.  God will not work with it.

Needless to say, I have stopped the maple syrup and have cut back on the fruits.  I feel amazing!  For two weeks I have been completely FUNK FREE!  In the prior six months, I normally had four or five days in the week that I remained in a funk.  It turns out that my hormones don’t affect my mood so much.

If you relate to any part of this article, I urge you to look at your sugar intake and make some changes!  Don’t request a drug from your doctor when you can possibly fix it on your own without the chemicals and added side effects of medication.  Not to mention how healthier you would be!

I feel like God is finally opening the doors for us to step forward into our ministry in just these past two weeks.  How long did I delay this because I didn’t want to give up maple syrup?