subject: Spirituality's Take on Stress and Depression [print this page] Spirituality's Take on Stress and Depression
In spirituality, there is a saying that in any situation, you accept it and face it. So even if you are depressed, you can still feel the depression completely, notice how it is floating in your awareness. You hold it in your loving embrace knowing that every moment you hold the light to the depression, you are healing a very deep part of yourself.
Some people are satisfied just knowing this and they try to take on life like this. But even while practicing this wisdom to what I thought was my best ability, I have personally run into some walls where my heart tells me something is not quite right. I have found that your brain, body, and environment can still shut me down so that I don't even feel like being in the moment. I don't want to face my situation or myself. As hard as I try to stay present and spiritual, I'm soon racked by restless thoughts or sucked into one addictive activity after another. The final feeling after indulging myself is no more satisfaction than when I first started. There is no more peace or love than before.
So, it comes down to this. Your mind, body, and environment are the gateways for your spirit to shine through and bring you peace and love. If you do not take care of the gateway, it cannot express itself through this realm and you cannot gain the experience points needed to head towards enlightenment or love. For example, if you hit your head, your brain may become comatose for the rest of your life and no longer be aware. If your body is wracked in pain, you may say to yourself, "Ah crap, this is too much. I just want to zone out in front of the TV and not be aware." If your room is messy, your mind will be more likely to say, "Ah, my life is so out of sync, screw it all, I'm overwhelmed - TV time!
So if you do not eat right, sleep right, or exercise, it is like saying, "tomorrow, I don't want to be that aware. I am fine with being mostly unconscious and not having my spirit shine through. I am willing to go through more suffering." Try to see it like this. Every single day, you will spend a certain percentage of time in the moment and not in the moment. For example, on a bad day, I would say I am 3% of the time in the moment and 97% just daydreaming and caught up in doing stuff. Compare that with the me who ate right, slept well, and kept his schedule balance with work and play. I am maybe 8% in the moment. Wahoo!
