Understanding Depression - In Yourself and Others

As you know by now, I like pairing daily life with visual images. At the end of this note I will explain why. It is not nearly as important as what I'm about to share with you.

Definition:
Depression is your decision to stand outside, in the rain with a wet coat on, barefoot in a puddle of mud.

Now, that may sound unsympathetic but after I'm done you will understand.

There are several types of depressed people.

1. Situational - people that are normally happy but may be sad because they just lost their job, a loved one, a relationship etc.
2. Chronic - people that can't seem to be happy for a long period of time.
3. Seasonal - people that seem to get depressed around the same time of year - due to a past event or change in weather.

Within these types are levels of how they deal with it.

1. Misery loves company - want everyone else around them to be depressed too.
2. Rescue me - need someone to pull them out of it.
3. Bounce back - pull themselves out of it because they realize things need to get done.

Let's get back to our wet coat analogy.

If you are depressed, imagine yourself on the outside. Most people consider depression internal, but let's say your core spiritual self is internal - and depression is your allowing external sources to pull you outside of your spiritual self. Your inner self is peaceful, why because the spiritual self is not attached to this world, it's pain, it's suffering, it's woes - because in the spiritual world - Earthly things don't matter, which is why when you die you can look back at your life without attachment.

Misery Loves Company:
So, you're out in the rain with a wet coat on standing in the mud. A friend, family member, stranger comes by with an umbrella and says, "Hey, let's go inside your house where it's warm. Let me make you some tea and get you out of these wet clothes." You say, "No, I don't feel like it." You take the umbrella out of their hand, lock arms with them and make them stand in the rain with you. You tell them all the depressing things about your life - making it rain harder. Soon they are depressed too. This makes you feel better because now you're not alone and you don't have to change anything.

Rescue Me:
You're still in the rain. People are passing by, you flag them down and say, "Hey, I'm not doing well today - can you take me by the hand and get me inside." They take you inside by listening to your problems, but also telling you how much they love you and how great you are." This person, however kind and gentle becomes an enabler. Keeping you disabled from picking up your feet and walking into the warm house yourself. If this is situational or seasonal, it is understood. If you are a chronically depressed person, this will not help you.

Bounce Back:
It's raining, you've been in a funk all day. Your kids are inside waiting to be fed, your husband is looking for you. You realize that you don't have time to sit in the mud. You take off the wet coat and walk yourself back into the house and realize what's really important. This seems harder than it actually is. We can do this for ourselves in a blink of an eye - just by a change in thought pattern.

Now, what do I mean by thought pattern.

Your brain is a conveyor belt of thoughts. The conveyor belt of a depressed person looks something like this:

I am not worthy, I am dumb, I don't deserve love, Nobody loves me, my life is sad, my situation is hopeless, things will not get better, there is no hope. [Repeat until there is torrential rain].

This is what we do to ourselves, recycle these thoughts until we are paralyzed.

Now, I've been in these dark places which is why I can tell you, it's a dead end road. I promised myself a long time ago that I would never take this road. I've even put bread crumbs on my way out to make sure I don't go back. There are thoughts that I've flagged to let me know when I've happened on this road. Thoughts like:

I'm never going to be happy. I'm destined to be miserable. God has abandoned me.

I see these thoughts on my conveyor belt and make a U-turn, because I know what's going on. I replace those thoughts with:

I can be happy. Things are not as bad as they seem. Nothing is permanent. This too shall pass. All I have to do is walk back in the house and be happy for all that is good in my life.

Depressed people may not feel like saying this, it seems like too much work. Why because their conveyor belt is already filled to the max with negative thoughts. They would have to delete the negative thoughts in order to make room for positive thoughts. To them, it seems like a pile of dirty clothes they just don't feel like washing, even though they know that when everything is clean - they will feel amazing.

So how can you permanently rid yourself of depression. One simple word - Meditation.

When you meditate, you are giving your soul the job of cleaning up your negative thoughts without having to lift a finger. If you sit in silence for 20 minutes or more, your soul will carry you like a newborn baby, inside, make you tea and biscuits, rub your feet, sit you by the fire and rock you to sleep. It will wipe your conveyor belt clean.

Why does this work? Because in meditation, you are stopping the conveyor belt from moving. You are allowing the rain to stop. You are allowing your inner self and its peace to be in control of your life. If you don't meditate on a regular basis, you are not using the power that is available to you free of charge.

Anti-depressant medication makes you feel dead inside. That's not what you want. You want to feel emotion - you just don't want to drown in it. Your soul is asking for the opportunity to conduct your life. Give into it - and depression will be a thing of that past.

Next time you are depressed, start to feel the rain dripping on your head, imagine the heaviness of the wet coat, feel your feet cold and damp with mud, then look a few feet away from yourself and look at the house, warm and inviting and just walk yourself over there. Depression is a choice you don't have to live with. {{Love}}

~pluto~