What helps when we are depressed?
This is part two of a two-part article on depression. To read part one, click here.Prayer and meditation help but sometimes depression makes a person unmotivated to do even those simple things and, in those cases, a good hypnosis tape or subliminal tape can help.
Also, I'm reminded of the verse in the bible that says sometimes we can just pray with utterings and groanings. Just make sound if you can't make words. Singing is also good for lifting the energy of depression.
Related Depression Article: Health Alert: FDA Warnings About Anti-Depression Medications
More Tips for Handling Depression
Counseling doesn't work! If you have tried counseling and it didn't work, your are probably irritated that I even suggested it. I know what it is like to go to a counselor and feel as if you are talking to a condemning preacher, a blank face, or someone who doesn't know how to listen.
Sometimes, part of the healing process is walking away from what doesn't work and finding what does work. Just because one counselor wasn't there for you in the way you needed them to be, that doesn't mean another counselor would not be perfect. Don't give up. Your healing is too important.
Health formulas truly benefit when we've had awareness that something needs to change and we understand that restoring balance thru supplementation, whether natural or prescription, is not the ultimate answer but a help while we do the work needed to heal.
Learning to be at least as gentle with myself as I would be one of my beloved little nieces or nephews, whom I adore, has helped me greatly. Whenever I find myself going into panic or judgment or any other thing, I remember the smiles of children, their laughter, how fully they give themselves over to whatever emotion is there, and how quickly it dissipates after full expression.
Jesus said to become like little children. I think that's part of what makes them such great role models for us. They are in every moment, fully. Unless they are taught otherwise, they naturally express fully and then re-balance. It's a natural way of balancing that we forget as adults.
Mindful observance without judgment helps:
I learned that i could choose to observe and carry on an internal, loving dialogue with myself rather than jumping into self-recrimination, judgment, fear or other negative emotion.
I affirm: "I give myself permission, full permission, to be human, fully human"
Does being fully human mean that my conduct doesn't matter to me or that I stop striving to be a better, and more helpful person, on my spiritual path? No, not in my reality.
Being fully human means I can be out of balance without beating myself up. I don't choose to stay out of balance but when I'm there, I have learned it is far more effective to observe and find out what is going on than it is to try to stifle my feelings, bite my own head off, or strike out at someone else.
Becoming curious helps. For example, I might say "Hum, I am thinking some really mean thoughts about that person. Wonder what that's about?" rather than "Oh, I'm a terrible person for thinking that."
Learning to love ourselves is vital to the path of service, the path of awakening and the path of acceleration. Yet, without loving ourselves, we cannot know how to love others. So, it behooves all of us to tenderly embrace the human that we are, and learn from our feelings, our behaviors and our reality, what it is we want to create in our future.
Mental Health Disclaimer: You should always check with your mental health professional before adding anything, natural or prescription, to your depression treatment regimen. Depression is a serious mental health condition that can progress to clinical depression, in which case the care of a qualified mental health professional may be needed to protect life. This information does not replace an in-person consultation with a mental health professional or mental health counselor.