You are all familiar with mood swings, the dark feelings of sadness, dejection and disappointment that assail you at times. Now, why does depression take hold of your mind? It could be that you feel let down in life. It could be your discontentment with people or the situations around you. It is the way you react to the challenges and unexpected turns in your life. These emotions are natural and should pass with time. The key is to cross over and grow from these experiences, not sink deeper in the lows of depression.
Chronic depression is like a self-imposed jail where a person refuses to stop brooding over their misfortune, even though the events and situations that made them unhappy have long changed. It is a hopeless and helpless situation.
Let Things Go
I want to ask you this: Were you born to lead such a bitter life? Did your parents and teachers ever teach you to live hopelessly? Did the Almighty create you to suffer from depression and frustration? No. Then why do you want to live in depression?
The answer lies is your unwillingness to develop an Attitude; the attitude of ‘Letting Things Go’.
When your destiny has something else in store for you, it will want you to leave the thing you are obsessively clinging to. Most often, people fall into depression thinking constantly about past events which have left a negative imprint on their mind. They can’t ‘Let it Go’ and continue to live in the past. What you really need is an anti-depression pill, called Let Things Go!
Here are five ways of dealing with depression:
- Understand, accept and be grateful: If you’re dealing with failure, reflect why things went wrong. Maybe the way you went about it wasn’t the right way. Change your approach and take another look at things. Remove yourself from the situation and take an outsider’s perspective. Know that today you have more desires than wants. Your needs are more important and they are few. Your needs are always fulfilled in life and be thankful for that.
- Take a break: Stop. Breathe. Relax. Sometime you need to take a break and explore something else. If an obligatory work has frustrated you and sapped you of your vigour, take a weekend off and go on a trip with friends. This will give you the energy to start afresh.
- Some things can be changed but not everything: American poet Maya Angelou once said, ‘If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.’ People with a positive attitude know that certain things can’t be changed and they are wise enough to move on. What’s the use of craving for a past that’s gone and is unalterable?
- Stay away from things that disturb you: When it comes to relationships, always look at things that work for you because life is full of duality. Focus on areas where you gel together, rather than concentrate on differences. Keep in touch with those who understand and support you and stay away from others who pull into negativity.
- Introspect: This is the most important step but a few people take it. After observing things around you, look within yourself. Analyse your behaviour with others, examine your motives deeply, talk to your inner being and take corrective steps if you find yourself wrong. Release control of people and situations arising from your fears of survival. Do not colour things with your definition. Just row your boat gently down the stream, going with the flow of life.
