Managing Depression
Like millions of others, I struggle with depression at times. Because of this, I’ve learned all I could about it, and although depression has a huge amount of information associated with it, I thought I’d share some of my experience and knowledge. Below are some causes of depression, but there are probably as many reasons as there are people:
*Depression can be caused by repressed anger. When thoughts and feelings cannot be expressed, they get buried in the mind and can lead to depression.
*Depression can be faced by mothers after their baby is born.
*Genetics can contribute to depression when brain chemistry involves serotonin and dopamine.
*Some people can get depressed during the winter months because they don’t get enough sunlight. I’ve heard of individuals who move to the south to try and solve this problem.
*Worry and anxiety can cause depression when they aren’t managed. The amount of stress and tension weighs heavily on thoughts and moods.
*A long-term injury or illness can also lead to depression because of the daily pain and stress they can create.
*Some specific things that occur in the environment can also lead to depression such as a job loss, relationship problems or a death in the family.
Depending on the cause of depression, it can be treated in a number of ways:
*Medications can be utilized to manage brain chemistry.
*Physical exercise can help release nervous energy and transform it.
*Talk therapies can help discover the causes of depression and attempt to come up with solutions.
*Singing and bathing can help lighten the mood and feed the spirit.
*Occasionally electroconvulsive therapy can be used in a difficult case. This can be helpful and isn’t like it is portrayed in the movies.
*Meditation, including guided meditation, can help relax the mind, ease racing thoughts, and train the mind to find peace and quiet.
It’s important to mention that most people have no frame of reference when it comes to depression, so they believe that the person can simply “cheer up” or “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” This can make depression a lonely experience because nobody truly understands how devasting it can be.
In my book, Passing Through the Dream, I attempt to explain some ideas about depression and mental illness in my chapter called, “Mental Illness.”:
Mental Illness
Our soldiers protect with honor and strength.
If they become ill, we can’t turn our backs.
Disorders appear like thieves in the night.
They may take a year or may take a life.
Sometimes an illness may lead to a wall.
Then one may perceive his God is too small.
Filling the prisons, abandoned by all,
The mentally ill, may have only God.
Some doctors are young while some have grown old.
The ones who are good are worth more than gold.
The ignorant judge can stand in the way.
Yet he knows the laws and words he must say.
God has a purpose for all in the world.
Those with disorders are here to evolve.
The young face symptoms that may overwhelm.
But patience brings hope so courage prevails.
The illness may lurk in feelings and thoughts,
They ruin the day by shredding it up.
The cure will be found; but now life goes on,
So those who are ill must stand and be strong.
It is important to reiterate that depression has many causes, symptoms and unique solutions, but I wouldn’t say depression - like other forms of mental illness - always has a definitive cure. A lot of times it takes a great deal of self-knowledge to deal with disrupted sleep patterns, weight gain and all the other symptoms involved. Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter. See you next week!
(Please remember these are my own ideas, and I’m not attempting to persuade anyone to change theirs.)
Quotes:
“Depression is a prison where you are both the suffering prisoner and the cruel jailer.” Dorothy Rowe
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.” C.S. Lewis
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