Depression is a debilitating illness that afflicts about 5 % of the population or 350 million people worldwide. Although some degree of depression every now and then is normal, severe depression can be quite crippling and if untreated can lead an individual to committing suicide.
The bad news is that so many people are not getting the help and support system they need and end up committing suicide. According to suicide.org, a person commits suicide every 40 seconds which is about 1 million per year. That figure is quite staggering and appalling.
The good news is that depression is a treatable illness especially from a holistic approach. When depression is severe, it is important to get medical help right away. There are various anti-depressant medications which may be helpful in stabilizing one’s mood. It takes about 2-3 weeks to usually work; however, sometimes the side effects may be adverse like brain fogging, fatigue or even suicidal ideas may occur depending on the particular medication. It is important to communicate with your doctor immediately if any undesirable effects take place. Sometimes medications need to be adjusted or a new medication may need to be taken instead. It can sometimes seem like trial and error but once you find the right medication and dosage, it can do wonders.
Once the severity of the symptoms is stabilized, it is important to get a good support system started from family, friends, colleagues or church group or clergy support can be extremely helpful. Many times it can be extremely helpful to talk to a Marriage Family Therapist, psychologist, social worker or counselor for help, guidance and support to help develop productive coping skills. However, if someone you know is suicidal, you must call the authorities for professional help but offer your support,kindness and compassion until help arrives.
If you are suicidal, call your local suicide prevention hotline. In the United States it is 1800-suicide,1800 784-2433 or 911. Regardless how bad you may feel, realize that there is always hope despite how bad the storm of life is; there will always be sunshine eventually. All of life is cyclical. There will be up times as well as down times. Just hold on, get some help to buy you some time to give an opportunity for you to discover the greatness you have within. All of us have this greatness waiting to bring out the best in you so just hold on long enough to give birth to this hidden Divine greatness within you.
I hope I got your attention about that Divine Presence within you. Let’s see what we can do to help you begin to navigate there.
Depression is like a looming dark cloud that seems to follow us wherever we may go; however, if we can go begin to incorporate the various techniques that I will discuss below, we can begin to burn away the dark clouds and eventually learn how to even dance in the rain and sing in the storm. Eventually, you will become the sunlight that will illuminate even in the darkest nights.
Let’s start by examining depression. The causes of depressions are varied and can include stress, poor nutrition, genetic predisposition and body chemistry. Although medication may be helpful for many, it does have side effects.
Besides the traditional medical approach, a more holistic and integrative approach can do wonders and help you lead a very healthy and happy life. Since stress is the biggest culprit of depression, let’s arm ourselves with all the arsenals to curtail our stress to a healthy level. I will list down some effective things to do to deal with stress:
- Exercise at least a few days a week for 20 to 30 minutes. It helps to release endorphin in our body so we feel good.
- Take ballroom dancing lessons or learn Salsa dancing ( Dr. Amen, brain specialist, highly recommends this to help with depression).
- Play ping pong ( Dr. Amen highly recommends this for depression).
- Go take a hike in a beautiful place or take a stroll on the beach.
- Listen to inspirational music.
- Go out with some friends.
- Watch a comedy or inspirational film.
- Sing Karaoke
- Smile even if you don’t feel like it. I find it helpful to smile for 10 to 20 seconds. The act of smiling causes you body to produce the chemicals that elevate your moods.
- Meditate- it is the best cure for stress, anxiety and depression. Do it for at least 20 to 30 minutes to get the best effect. Vipassana meditation is one of the easiest to learn and is the one that Buddha did that led him into enlightenment.
- Practice Tai Chi
- Practice Yoga
- Stop watching TV until you are able to watch it without feeling anxious, sad or angry. Or turn the channel for shows that are more relaxing.
- Hypnosis can be very effective to help us deal with stress and our perceptions.
- Tapping or rapid eye technology can help.
- Stay away from negative people and surround yourself with people who love you.
- Get a pet that is interactive like a dog. The unconditional love from our canine friends can be so healing.
- Listen to classical music.
- Visualize and dare to imagine yourself being happy and living your dream.
- Join some social group that appears to be supportive like a church group, spiritual group or other activity group.
- Volunteer to help serve the poor and needy.
- Pray for Divine guidance and assistance.
- Be spontaneous and silly. Laughter is the best medicine. When we laugh, the child within us comes out and play. When that happens, we begin to truly heal.
- Lavender scent aroma therapy can be calming to the nervous system.
- Some have reported benefits from frankincense essential oil to alleviate anxiety and depression.
Besides the above, eating a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet can help one to feel greater peace and harmony from within. Eat plenty of healthy protein and eat healthy carbs in moderation. Eat organic food to avoid toxic build up in your body. Detox regularly to help rid body of toxic build up. Stay away from processed food, fast food and junk food. Drink plenty of healthy water to stay hydrated.
Certain food have been known to help with our emotional health like:
- Avocado
- Cashews
- Mushrooms
- Apples
- Walnuts
- Eat plenty greens
- Cacao bean
There are more out there that you can read about but the above are just a few of them to help you get started.
From a homeopathic standpoint, Dr. Bach’s flower essences can produce amazing results. However, one needs to keep the bottle away from sunlight or it will affect the energy of the essences. Rescue remedy is a very popular product that can be purchased at Wholefoods or any health food store. It helps to dissipate the stress, anxiety or sadness we may feel.
There are some who feel St. John’s Wort is quite helpful with depression. Others take Sam -E to help with depression.
Dr. Brian Peskin from MIT talks a lot about the amazing benefits of PEO ( parent essential oil) with helping with diabetes, heart disease, cancer as well as with our brain function. If our brain is functioning more optimally, we can make better decisions and choices about our health.
Most of us think serotonin only comes from our brain but according to a very cutting edge nutritionist I recently spoke with, he stated that we get it in our guts as well about 80-90%. If we can work towards a healthy flora in our gut, our mental, physical and emotional health is optimized. In fact, he said that we have an increase in production of serotonin to help us with anxiety and depression. He stated that certain probiotics could help us with this.
It is important than you discuss what you are doing with you physician, naturopathic doctor or other health care provider. You want to make sure what are doing does not jeopardize your health. All out bodies are unique and respond differently to different things. It is important that you research things thoroughly before getting it.
Besides the above, we need to decide each day how we will feel. All our thoughts and emotions are ultimately a choice. We sometimes need to just say out loud, I choose to be happy today. I choose to be calm. I choose to be positive..or I AM Happy!
We need to shift from being a human reactor to being a human thermostat where we are more in control.
We need to be aware of the words that we say after I AM…. And make sure it is always positive. The words we say after it will lead us in creating greater harmony within ourselves or disharmony depending on the words we say.
Finally, we must begin to realize that there is a beautiful Divine Spark of Light within us waiting patiently to wake up or reconnect with our consciousness. When we learn to connect with this Divine Presence, we are guided on a path that will manifest what we are meant to do and help us to understand why we are here.
That path will lead us into finding the ultimate happiness, peace and joy that we were meant to experience and share. The perfection of that path brings us to an eternal life of bliss, love and joy that radiates so brightly and will illuminate despite the worse storms of life. The books I wrote go into detail how exactly I navigated through all the challenges of life and I teach the reader on how they too can be empowered and achieve greatness in their life. Remember, you are a Divine Being of Greatness in the works. Just give time for the Universe to help you discover it.
Namaste! Sat Sri Akal!
Love, Blake
#depression #suicide #spirituality #daretoimagine
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