subject: Dealing With Depression Requires Knowledge [print this page] There is no Path to happiness! Happiness is the Path!
(Sakyamuni Buddha)
What is Depression?
Depression is an involuntary, instinctual reaction of the mind in response to adverse events in life. We dont decide we are going to be depressed. The mind dictates depression all by itself, telling us the outside world is the problem. But this is far from the truth. So we naturally plan to change everything. If life can be changed easily, theres no problem. Dealing with depression is not necessary, because our depression is gone with the change in life circumstance.
Depression and the need for dealing with depression happen, because we come to believe the outside circumstances in life are hopelessly, and infallibly, etched into solid granite: that is, theres no way of changing things. Hopelessness and depression go hand in hand. This is a basic instinctual reaction of the mind, so this happens to everyone. You are not unique. Our depression is perfectly understandable.
But once the depression loads catastrophically into place, the question becomes how to be dealing with depression?
At first glance it appears dealing with depression is useless. That is, nothing will change the hopeless situation. And maybe the outside world will never change? But there is still an easy way to cure the depression, because the outside world did not cause the depression. What caused the depression was the reaction of the instinctual mind. Dealing with depression requires this understanding.
Some instincts help us to survive. But this instinct -- the automatic reaction of our mind -- actually impedes our ability to survive. This is because of another feature of depression. Depression drains all of our energy. This knowledge especially is required for dealing with depression.
Healing Depression Is Easy But You Have to Know How
Oddly enough the medical profession as a whole fails to recognize that their traditional approach is confused and complicated. Usually the information is unreliable, and forms what can only be called a hyped-up attempt to sell psychiatric medications in a fraudulent billion dollar industry. So medical science is not the best approach for dealing with depression.
In truth depression is a time for intense nurturing Yes, its time to love yourself, so take a breath and give thanks.
This Actually Reverses the Currents of the Mind
There are many ways of reverse the minds current of depression. Loving and nurturing oneself is only one of the ways. The most important way, however, is the practice of gratitude.
Developing a list of 5 things each day for which we can be grateful is the best way for dealing with depression.
But if we are suffering from depression, we this will be a discouraging suggestion. This is because everyone who is depressed, believes he or she has nothing for which to be grateful. Finding even one thing to be grateful, seems about as useless for dealing with depression, as an empty whiskey bottle is to a drunk.
Dealing with depression successfully, requires finding that elusive one thing to be grateful. When this is found, the depression will be gone.
It usually takes many hours of analysis, but then dealing with depression is a breeze, because the depression ends immediately. In fact each person will find as a fact out of his or her own experience, that its impossible to be depressed and grateful at the exact same time.
This fact was first presented in the Western World by Aristotle, 2,500 years ago. The term in modern, Western Psychology for the process is, Sublimation. The word was invented by Freud and forms a foundation for modern, Cognitive Therapy. This by the way, is the only psychological counseling that most insurance companies will pay for.
So the choice was there. Did I want to spend the next 3 to 5 years as a hopelessly depressed couch potato? Or did I want to spend a few hours analyzing life -- looking for at least one thing to be grateful?
I chose the later and highly recommend it to all, who like myself, was suffering at the time with grave, emotional and mental disorders. As a fact out of my own experience, I found the practice of gratitude is the best method for dealing with depression.
