How to stay one step ahead of mental depression: Part 1 of 3
In the face of today’s endless economic turmoil, it’s all too easy for people to get caught up in the general conversation about everything that’s negative in their lives, especially around the holidays. Unfortunately, the end of 2011 still finds the United States and the entire world drowning in a huge wave of difficult economic conditions, driving us into chaos with disturbing speed, making money scarce and credit harder to come by and more expensive. . The devastating economic baggage we carry from year to year increases as people struggle with endless bills, trying to support themselves and their families. Along with expressions like “I’m broke; I fear for my job; business is bad; my unemployment benefits are running out”; You’ll also hear: “I can’t keep up with my car insurance or mortgage payments; I’ve maxed out my credit cards and I don’t know where to find money.” This bleak scenario is driving multitudes of people into a state of panic and depression with no hope of a way out. Many Americans also experience physical and emotional difficulties because they can’t afford health insurance. There are even those who have lost their coverage as a result of unemployment.
People not only become severely depressed as a result of their financial despair, but many suffer the effects of a divorce, the end of a relationship, or the death of a loved one. Seniors are no exception, especially those who have become disabled. They are also in a state of depression as they lose their independence, feeling like they are a burden to their children. Each person’s situation is genuinely sincere and totally different, and the end results are devastating no matter how you look at it. In many homes today, a terrible sense of foreboding seems to hang over most people’s lives like a black cloud.
What happens to each and every one of us matters, but more importantly, how we recognize and respond to what happens to us says everything about who we are. Misfortunes that are suddenly imposed on us can trigger emotions that have the capacity to revolutionize the way we live and relate to others. This article is part 1 of a 3-part series on coping with and overcoming depression, no matter what the cause.
Mental depression is not racist, sexist, or singles out any religious belief, it can consume us all if we let it.
Regarding the current economic environment, the fact is that times are tough no matter what you hear from any politician. You can see it with his eyes, the empty houses, the rising costs of utilities and food as inflation sets in. You hear it on the news; Unemployment numbers and jobless claims continue to rise. You can drive through any city and see the long lines of bread. Call it the Depression, call it the Great Recession, call it what you want, it sucks, and for the foreseeable future it’s just our reality.
For good reason, people find it quite difficult to pick up the pieces and move on with their lives. Many individuals focus on the scene around them instead of looking within and finding that place of peace, that inner creative power.
Life is a continuous stream of ups and downs. It is when times are most difficult that we feel so alone, that we feel that bad things are always happening to us, that we feel that an invisible force that controls our destiny, a doomed destiny, attacks and annoys us.
When problems overwhelm us, it’s hard to see beyond them for a solution. However, that is exactly what one must do to stay one step ahead of mental depression.
Some of you may be saying, “…stop the preacher, get off your pedestal. You can’t be serious! How can you escape mental depression? You have no idea what I and others like me are happening! It’s not that easy! You’re not in our shoes!”
Trust me, I’m not being insensitive to your pain or despair because I know what it’s like to endure mental depression. I’ve been there done that. It hurts, I cry, and I have also experienced what you feel. I know the pain of rejection, divorce, the pain of losing loved ones, the agony of years of physical, emotional, and verbal abuse at the hands of an alcoholic husband, going from a well-paying job to cleaning houses and offices in order. to survive. I am familiar with the symptoms of depression, I was physically lethargic, I wanted to sleep all my life, I stopped enjoying the things I used to love. Loneliness, hopelessness and despair haunted me like a shadow, stealing all the light from my life, making me seek both spiritual and professional support.
One thing I have learned from all of this is that the longer we dwell on any difficulty, the more we amplify it and the harder it is to get out of it, leading to a state of mental depression. We get so stuck in old negative thought patterns that we have little time or energy left to develop new affirmative patterns. When we reverse our negative outlook on life and learn to see the positive, then we can create a new state of existence called “Peace of Mind”. As a result of this, we will become a much stronger person no matter what situation we face. The way we think determines the way we live. Remember, like attracts like, it’s the Law of Attraction. In Part 2 of this 3-part series, we’ll begin exploring ways and tips to help you beat depression.