Depression is quite often a response to our present conflict between material pressures and spiritual aspirations. used wisely, it can be a springboard to spiritual awakening and wisdom

Depression Management

Here are a few tips that can help you manage your emotions, and ensure that you are able to hold on to the threads of life, even enjoy the few colourful ones, until awakening exhilirates your very core.
• Accept: Unless you accept that you are depressed, there is nothing you are going to do to make yourself feel better. A majority of the world faces depression, so don’t kick yourself for it. The main characteristic of depression is resistance, so the more you accept, the better you will feel. It’s okay to accept that you can’t accept. Even that is a step forward.
• Company matters: Try not to spend too much time with people who are miserable or pessimistic. It will exacerbate your depression. Instead, seek the company of those who are cheerful and optimistic.
• Laugh away the blues: The mantra that Art Of Living, the spiritual organisation headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, propagates is, “Fake it till you make it”. Laugh even though it’s the last thing you feel like doing. Read some great jokes, meet people with a good sense of humour. The cheer will rub itself on you.
• Take action: Since depression is characterised by inaction, the antidote to it is action. Force yourself to do your duties whatever they might be. Take up some regular exercise every day. Yoga is particularly beneficial, and will give great benefits.
• Soul-itude: If you have a mild attack of the blues, a holiday just with your self in a picturesque place, could work wonders. It gives you time oft to have coffee and conversation, on a cool morning in a beautiful valley, with none other than your soul.
• Try therapy: Gone are the days when there was a stigma attached to meeting a psychotherapist. Today, it is increasingly recognised that seeking professional help for your blues is part of caring for yourself, and taking responsibility for your health. It is to be applauded, not derided.
• Nothing like a walk: Luckily, some of the best things in life are still free. A regular dose of exercise in fresh air can help tremendously. Although exercise isn’t a cure for depression, its psychological and physical benefits can improve your symptoms. “It’s not a magic bullet, but increasing physical activity is a positive and active strategy to help manage depression,” says Kristin Vickers-Douglas, Ph.D., a psychologist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
• Try bodywork: Bodywork therapists are experts in helping you to work through the tensions that depression stores in your body, and can therefore make you more grounded, and peaceful. Even an ordinary massage will help.
• Eat your way out: The choices we make in the foods we eat, sets the basis for physical, mental and spiritual health. Some foods actually fight depression. A few good examples are: Foods with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids: These include walnuts, fatty fish (like salmon, tuna) and flaxseed oil. Fish oil supplements are also useful. Brown rice: Contains lots of B vitamins, and is low-glycemic, meaning it allows sugars to be absorbed slowly, providing energy for the long-term. Just avoid the “instant” rice packages. Whole grain oats: Again, loaded with B vitamins, and soothing to the digestive tract. Cabbage: It does a lot to give a salad a nice crunch and your mood an uplift. Foods to avoid: Anything with caffeine, high-sugar, high-fat as research indicates that these interfere with our brain chemistry, and therefore can be a factor in contributing to exacerbating depression.
• Sunny side up: Your mood is influenced by a complex web of relationships between sunlight, melatonin (the sleep hormone), and serotonin (the hormone associated with wakefulness and elevated mood). As darkness falls, your melatonin levels naturally increase. And as the morning light emerges, melatonin levels decrease. Serotonin levels increase when you’re exposed to bright light – a major reason why moods tend to be more elevated during the summer. This hormone is the basis of today’s most popular and successful antidepressant drugs, called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
• Spiritual emergence: Sometimes what may seem like paranoia or psychosis may actually be a spiritual awakening. This might take the form of sudden energies moving within you, or seeing visions, or hearing voices. You can distinguish this from a genuine psychotic experience, by checking your feelings. Is there a greater sense of love, compassion, connection to the universe? Psychosis, on the other hand, would create fear and alienation. Even through this, you might need support. Find a therapist who is open to the spiritual dimension. Better still, try and meet a spiritual master. Spend some time on your own, to get peace and rest. Turn to God, and start a dialogue with Him, or say a prayer. Remember that you will be taken care of.
• The Joy Equation: www.thejoyequation.com gives an interesting four-step solution to depression: They are:
Information... knowledge of what it is you’re facing
Action... Simple, easy-to-follow instructions for combatting your depression.
Inspiration... Stories of people just like you who have successfully banished depression from their lives the natural way.
And support... Having people in your corner who care about you and your progress and who are willing to invest time helping you out.
- Megha Bajaj