Living Well with Depression - No. 1 LifeStyle Tip
Depression is not new to me. I lived around depression my entire childhood, most often leaving to school in the morning and coming from school in the afternoon while mom still laid in bed with the door closed. It felt so depressing as a little girl yet it came in the form of loneliness, boredom, insecurity and fear, not in laziness or disinterest in life. It wasn’t until I became an adult having a family of my own that I experienced depression the way we describe it clinically - feelings of deep anguish, hopelessness, and lack of desire to live. Depression is the one thing that is strong enough to let us quit in life and we do that through not only giving up entirely but through isolation, succumbing to the bed and letting go of dreams. Yet, I have never thrown in the towel. Furthermore, year after year, I go on accomplishing things that are beyond myself. I get through my days and I actively live my life while fighting the feelings of depression. There is one thing that I found to be critical to living my life well even when depression wants to snuff out my perception of life and my blessings.
living in the moment.
The one thing that helps me live well even with depression is living in the moment. It’s not something I’ve always knew to do or knew how to do. Being someone who has a lot on the to-do list and a lot of aspirations, for me depression easily comes when I feel overwhelmed or unable to do all that I want either due to physical limitations or other responsibilities that take up my time in significant ways such as raising and schooling my small children and cooking fresh food daily. Yet when I take an internal decision to lay down the agenda or the overwhelm, to see past the tomorrow or even the yesterday’s and focus on what is now, my entire spirit feels at rest. A spirit at rest is a lightened one, not heavy burdened with depression. I live in the moment being thankful for the very thing before me - even touching the grass when I’m near. What if there were a day we couldn’t touch the grass anymore. Living in the moment is one of the most powerful things you can do for your health. It means to really consciously absorb the moment that is actually real right now, whatever it is you are doing and using all of your senses to enjoy it - the sounds, the touch, the smells, the thoughts you’re engaging in. Whether it is holding of a baby, to really hold and comfort and love the baby, intentionally putting aside any negativity of the mind or what needs to be done next. The same for anything you do whether it is cooking or talking to someone - to be fully there, not just physically there but there emotionally and most importantly there spiritually - connecting to that sacred place within yourself and using that to connect with the other person. Our kind can easily become overwhelmed. Especially those who struggle with depressive episodes, nothing is worse than harboring negativity in the mind. Lay it down. Seek the moment. Create a moment you can enjoy.
Depression need not be the thing that snuffs out life’s best for us. Rising above the weaknesses in our life requires some purpose and passion and a learning to slow down and be in the moment. If I can help you navigate your days in spite of depression, contact Restored Sattva at contact@restoredsattva.com and consider a health consultation to see where we can strengthen the imbalances within that may be making the depression worse.
Journeying together,
Kari Prabhakar