Up from depression

Depression effects a huge amount of people on the globe and it still isn't something that is spoken about openly. My own experience with the medical profession was an instant drug fix and no other help. I learned for my self that there are plenty of other options, and that although the drugs have a purpose, they also create significant side effects.

The most important thing to remember about the various forms of anti-depressants is that they are great at stopping the darkest thoughts of suicide in many cases, BUT, we have an emotional scale which the drugs shorten at both ends. Although we no longer feel the very worst of the depression, we are chemically prevented from experiencing the blissful moments because the top end of our scale has been removed.

Most doctors prescribe drugs before anything else, but you are at choice if you take them and for how long. Always listen to the advice of your medical professional but remember you do have choice. I suggest that when you are ready to stop taking them, you come off them slowly with steady reductions in dosage.

So what else can we do to start recovering from the depths of depression?

1. Walk - this sounds so simple, but staying in bed or sitting on the sofa gazing blindly at the TV are not going to help you shift your energy. Even when the voices inside your head are telling you to stay put, get up and get your walking shoes on. If you can, find a place in nature that you enjoy. I live on the coast so I could walk along the beach, throw stones, shout on a windy day, these are all great ways of shifting the energy that has become stuck.

2. Breathe - I know you are always breathing, but actually not very effectively. Right now take a really big breath, breathe all the way into your belly, and notice that as you breathe out your shoulders drop and your body relaxes a little. It is almost impossible to stay tense when we breathe deeply.  Andre Weill MD says, "diet and exercise not withstanding if I could only prescribe one thing to every patient I see it would be 10 minutes of daily conscious breathing". Sit comfortably and breathe deeply, slowly and consciously, let any other thoughts blow through your mind like clouds on a windy day. Focus just on the breath, feeling it journey in and out of your body, feel the tension release and an increased level of relaxation.

3. Seek support - 12 step programs are so effective at dealing with addictions because they offer support. Seek support, either from a friend, and professional counsellor or therapist or a group of other people experiencing depression and stress. There is amazing benefit it having some form of compassionate community around you.

4. Journalling - In depression we have recurring thoughts on the hamster wheel inside our mind, by writing them down we move them from one part of our brain to another, this simple process often brings a different perspective and allows your inner wisdom to give you new ideas and possibilities. This is not like writing for an English test, this is just for you, so don't get stuck in making it perfect, let it flow from you, allow that inner wisdom to have it's way with you, it may really surprise you what come up.

5. Laugh - There is a huge amount of research into the power of laughter to heal. This applies equally to depression. Instead of watching the usual stuff on the TV, get out videos that make you laugh, go to a live show with your favourite stand-up comic, spend time with people who make you laugh. You know what hits your funny bone, so seek it out, it can make a great deal of difference even when you don't feel like it.

The final thing to consider is your spirituality. People who have some form of faith in a power beyond themselves have greater instance of recovery in all forms. Perhaps you have a beautiful church or temple you can sit in, or spend time reading some spiritual literature, my personal favourite is the Tao te Ching.

We are essentially spiritual beings having a temporary experience in a human suitcase, as we can connect to the creative source beyond us, no matter how we personally view that, we get a sense of the transitory nature of our situation, and it becomes easier to envision a better time, a time when we are not only 'back to our old selves' but transformed from the experience we have been through.

I came back renewed in ways I never thought of, and I know your healing is also complete in the perfect way.

In love

Juliet x