Helping Depression with Meditation and other Coping Skills

      Depression affects 121 million people all over the world. 80% of those are undiagnosed and going without treatment or medications. There are factors that increase your chances to have depression at some point in your life. Being obese, having heart disease, a stroke, sleep disorders, lack of education and less access to medical help may all cause depression. Those who are unemployed or recently divorced tend to go through a period of depression as they go through their struggles. Women are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men,mostly through the ages of 45-64.

      Sometimes medication is the only answer to help with your depression especially if it is clinical like bi-polar or manic disorders. There are many alternatives to medications or things that you can add to your medications to help make your life fuller and more meaningful. Having depression can lead to thoughts of worthlessness and that life is just not worth living. Through these methods, you can make your life more worthwhile and fun again. 

Some of these methods are:

1- Resist the urge to self medicate

2-Watch your diet. Cutting back on caffeine, adding fruits, veggies, whole grains and fish can provide your body with the vitamin and nutrients to boost your mental state.

3-Get out and enjoy the sunshine! soak up the vitamin D and raise your serotonin level.

4- Get creative. Spend at least half an hour doing something to wake up your creative side. Color in a coloring book, paint a picture, make a collage of where you want yourself to be in the future. Anything as long as it makes you smile and feel like a kid again.

5-Listen to music. Blast the radio, sing like you're putting on an Oscar performance. Let the music flow through your heart and soul.

6-Dance. Wiggle along to the radio as you are sweeping or doing the dishes. The freeing feeling will lighten your mood and get your endorphins running.

7-Attend a group. There are plenty of self help groups available in your area that offer help and coping skills. Sometimes it is enough just to have someone to listen to or to hear someone else's story to realize you're not alone.

8-Keep a journal.

9-Spoil yourself. Give yourself a facial or a manicure. Pampering yourself will make you feel special.

10-Change your point of view. Turn the negatives into positives whenever you can, You can even make a list of things you are grateful for and put them in your journal.

      Many therapist suggest other things like art therapy and meditation to help with the depressive states people go through. In art therapy, you are given a prompt, like your childhood or your self worth and asked to make a picture of what that means to you. You can be asked to keep an art journal which you fill with many different forms of art such as collages, pencil drawings, paintings mixed with words, quotes and feelings. 

      Meditation and breathing are very helpful forms of therapy. Paying attention to your breath and making a conscious effort to slow your breathing and heart rate can lower your anxiety and depression almost immediately and have long lasting affects. Because it is so easy to do and you need nothing but yourself to accomplish this therapy it is ideal to do many times a day whenever you feel the need to let off some steam. Below is a simple meditation you can use at anytime.

A Typical Meditation

1. Sit upright in a straight-backed chair, with your spine about an inch from the back of the chair, and your feet flat on the floor.

2. Close your eyes. Use your mind to watch your breath as it flows in and out. Observe your sensations without judgment. Do not try to alter your breathing.

3. After a while your mind will wander. Gently bring your attention back to your breath. The act of realizing that your mind has wandered - and bringing your attention back - is the key thing.

4. Your mind will eventually become calm.

5. Repeat every day for 20-30 minutes.

I hope this information is helpful to you and that you are able to utilize thesse coping skills to improve your life. Remember this is not meant to be used as medical advise. Please consult your doctor if you believe you may have anxiety or depression. If you are feeling suicidal, please call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). I hope you all have a magical day. Blessed be.