Even though you were thrown into the pits of hell, you still made it to heaven somehow, for the light that is within you is only made visible in complete and utter darkness; Shine bright warrior, shine bright!
-Lauriane Ammerlaan
What happens to a human being when all their security and sense of safety is rapidly taken away and without reassurance that it will ever be given back to them? What does this do to a person on a psychological level?
In this blog I will be diving deep into the phenomenon we call “depression”. What is it? What are the signs of a depression? What can you do to overcome a depression? And how can you prevent from ever falling into a depression ever again?
What is a depression?
There are 2 types of depression: major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder (PDD). A major depressive disorder can last between 9 -12 months. Persistent depressive disorder is when you experience symptoms of a depression for 2 years or more.
What are the signs of a depression?
Signs and symptoms you might experience at the beginning and during a depressive episode are:
- Loss of pleasure and fulfillment in life
- Insomnia (trouble sleeping and/or staying asleep)
- Eating disorder
- Loss of energy and inability to function throughout the day
- Problems with concentration
- A feeling of despair
- Addiction (to sooth the other symptoms)
What can cause a depression?
- Stressful life events (a divorce, death of a loved one, loss of job/ home etc)
- Coping mechanism (how you cope with stressful life events)
- Genetics
- No moral support
- Low concentration of the neurotransmitter called “serotonin”
A depression can also be caused due to a negative conception of oneself, the environment in which you life in , the state in which the world is in and in the future. A person is also susceptible for a depression when the cause of negative events are linked with short cummings of the person in question, short cummings in the character of the person and that the problem is caused by unchangeable attributes to ones character.
Chances of experiencing a depressive episode can also be caused due to not being able to give meaning to ones existence and not being able to make authentic choices to reach self-actualization. Specifically when there is an unbalance between action and gratification. For example a person believed that getting a good education, will give them the gratification of being “successful in life” and give them their dream life, when this doesn’t happen, a depression can present itself.
What can you do to overcome a depression?
There are two forms from which you can choose from to overcome a depression; the traditional psychological interventions or the holistic eastern interventions.
The psychological interventions:
- Psychotherapy
- Medication: antidepressants
- Light therapy (for seasonal depressions)
- Behavioral therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
The holistic eastern interventions
There are different holistic interventions you can take, take your time finding out which one resonates with you the best! The interventions that I am going to list are connected to the road of enlightenment of the Buddha. While the Buddha is trying to achieve full awareness of ones existence, the Buddha will be confronted with the 4 mara’s. “Mara” is known in Buddhism as “the destroyer or the tempter” that tried to destroy and distract the Buddha from reaching full enlightenment.
The 4 mara’s to overcome:
- The mara of the aggregates: which symbolizes our clinging to forms, perceptions and mental states as “real”
- The mara of the destructive emotions: which symbolizes our addiction to habitual patterns of negative emotion
- The mara of the Lord of Death: which symbolizes both death itself, which cuts short precious human birth and also our fear of change and impermanence.
- The mara of the sons of the gods: which symbolizes our craving for pleasure, convenience and ‘peace’.
If you would love to learn more about overcoming these mara’s, search for the term “Yamantaka”.
Holistic interventions include:
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Grounding
- Clean Diet
- Shadow Work
Yoga is similar to a massage for the inside of your body, releasing all the emotions that no longer serve you; 10 minutes every day or every other day is a wonderful start)
Meditation can help bring you much needed inner peace to be able to analyze your current mood and circumstances that are negatively affecting you and help you seek solutions. Doing yoga or exercising before meditating can really help you release all the energy in your body that is causing distress, facilitating meditation.
Grounding is when you sit on land with your bare feet or lay on the earth while laying on a blanket. When you feel as if negative emotions are devouring you whole, go to the earth that is positively charged. When you ground yourself, an energy exchange occurs. If you are currently in a country that is experiencing winter, going out and touching trees are also a wonderful grounding method.
Drink water (cleanses your body from all toxins including energy and emotions such as sadness, anger and irritability: 2 – 3 liters a day)
Exercise (releases endorphins aka “the happy hormones; 10 mins a day or every other day is a good start)
Shadow work: self reflection
Shadow work is when you feel any emotions that bring you discomfort, anger, sadness etc. In that moment ask yourself the following questions:
Why do I feel this way? What was the trigger that made me feel this way? What do I need to do to make it better? Having a profound conversation with yourself will help you understand yourself and your emotions better. When you understand where the emotions are coming from, it will become much more easier to better manage your emotions and mood!
In this world so many things are happening that can leave a person feeling overwhelmed and powerless. Turn of the news, put down your phone, close the laptop every once and a while. Being bombarded with negative news can really take a toll on you and your mental health.
Call yourself back to yourself and create a safe place within yourself and your home, to shelter you from the madness of the outside world. Remember that your power lies behind your fears. Overcoming that one thing that scares you most, will empower you! Knowing that you have so much potential inside of yourself and not knowing how to bring it out into this world, can leave a person feeling like they have no meaning towards their existence and a depression can present itself.
If you feel as if that you don’t belong in this world, know that you are here to create a better world. You are the force, that this world has been waiting on to make this reality wonderful for yourself and others in it! Go out there and be great!
I leave you with this friendly reminder:
“You are the alpha and the omega, for you are the creator of your own reality”
Happy Healings!
Lauriane
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