For the last two days, I have been a real grump.

I’ve been super irritable and annoyed by things that don’t normally bother me. This is strange for me, because I’ve been feeling really good for a while now. For example, I usually walk a few miles a day but the past few days, I’ve barely had the energy to get off the couch.

Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images

I wondered why the sudden change? I tried to think back and recreate what may have caused the sudden lack of energy and lethargy. I finally figured it out: I recently started to rotate in some supplements I haven’t taken for a while. Two that I started up again were NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) and ALA (Alpha-Lipoic Acid).

I remembered that these two are known to be chelators of heavy metals. A-ha! It started to make sense!

So my theory is that I inadvertently released some toxins and that was why I was feeling so awful. I remember this happening before when I’ve done detox protocols. But I certainly wasn’t trying to do a detox right now, and it took me by surprise.

Here’s what I did to feel better today (and why I have the renewed energy to write this blog post!):

-I stopped all supplements except for vitamin C, which is known to help the liver.

-Even though it took a lot of energy, I juiced some fruits and veggies. I used the following ingredients: apples, beets, carrots, ginger, celery, and parsley. I keep these items in my fridge all the time.  Sometimes if I don’t use them, I have to throw them away. However, I find it’s so helpful to have them on hand at times like these when I really need quick nutrients and don’t have the energy to go to the store.  I managed to clean-up quickly and then went back to the couch.

-An really important thing I did was to be gentle with myself. I had so many things I wanted to do, but absolutely no energy or motivation. My brain was really upset that my body couldn’t check some things off my to do list. However, I didn’t want to add shame and guilt to the mix of not feeling good. I gave myself permission to just be a lump on the couch. I felt a sense of relief just by doing that.

-As I was lying on the couch struggling with trying to gather the motivation and energy to get up and do things, I decided to make the best of it. I put on a castor oil pack with a flannel on top of my liver. I kept it on for approximately 30 minutes. This seemed to make a big difference and I was able to get up and do the dishes. Hurray!

-At about 6pm, I brushed my skin with a dry skin brush and then took a hot epsom salt bath with lavender essential oil. I stayed in the bath until it was no longer warm- about 20 minutes or so.

Then, I felt so good, I jumped up and wrote this post! : )

I am so grateful to have a variety of tools in my toolbox for times like these. Once I recognize that I’m not feeling good, I am usually able to take an action to change the way I’m feeling. I’m getting really good at knowing what works for me with certain symptoms. If one things doesn’t work, I try something else.

Of course, toxin elimination isn’t the only piece to my complex individual depression puzzle, but these last few days remind me that it is indeed significant. I was amazed at how just a few simple actions got me feeling back to normal again.

What kinds of things work wonders for you when you’re feeling down?