Tag: DEPRESSION

How did I slip into depression? I was super-sensitive to every emotion, irrespective positive or negative. I didn’t know where to draw the line.  Positive triggers like success, appreciation, love, took me all over to the moon. And the negative forces of failure, criticism, hatred, left deep bruises on my mind. Success made me feel like an invincible winner, while the failures, the biggest loser. My ability to feel emotions strongly was a boon in my lovely childhood and teenage days. That's because the situations back then triggered positive emotions. I didn't know the meaning of negativity, leave apart feeling it.  But after then, it was a complete turnaround. It was not a tragedy or a loss. Nothing major happened, but it was just a gradual accumulation of negative emotions, which turned my life upside down. It was such a slow process I never realized till I drowned under the depth of countless thoughts. What led to my downfall?  It was that vulnerable age I was standing in the outset of an uncertain future. I had no answers to my question- What Next? It was the early twenties —dreams and ambitions like every other, with an upbeat to pursue the best career. But every beat was falling flat. I was unable to find the best walk ahead. This dilemma lasted for unusually long, and I felt insecure for the first time. My alter ego sunk to the all-time low. I stopped loving myself, and others. Suddenly, everyone looked hostile. It was the phase when instances provoking negative emotions completely outnumbered the ones fuelling positive emotions.  I was losing my self-worth as the negative thoughts attacked my vulnerable mind in unison. And the hole was dug too deep for my mind to breathe, and it submerged under the countless thoughts.  I was down and under and finally fell prey to depression.  I consulted a doctor (precisely psychiatrist) who prescribed the conventional antidepressants. Those pills comforted my mind initially, but never did I realize that it was the dawn of worse things to follow. Alcohol lured my mind to elusive happiness The antidepressants, after a while, had stopped soothing. The freshness of mind had turned into an impossible dream. Not finding shoulders to lean on, I got lured by Alcohol’s friendship offer. It accompanied my lonely nights, promised me a fairyland every night but pushed me to the bleak reality every subsequent morning. I diluted alcohol for some time, but within no time, it started diluting my potent self. My poor mind was as helpless as a lamb in the hands of a butcher. It continued for 2 long years... the same hungover morning giving way to alcoholic nights. From a soulful being to a feelingless creature, I was losing everything. And if it would have continued, I couldn’t write this soulful note. A twist in the tale Alcohol could have been my last chapter but destiny had something else in the store. Jaundice infected my liver those days, giving way to the need for mindful eating and drinking. And yes, neither antidepressants nor alcohol was on the menu. The upcoming days were the...

Though it is common to face the feeling of sadness, grief, and sorrow at some point in our lives, depression is a serious condition which needs to be unmasked and knocked out. Most of us often confuse between sadness and Depression. And therefore, It is imperative to know the differences and take appropriate measures. 14 differences between sadness and depression  The foremost difference between sadness and depression is that sadness is a temporary feeling. On the other hand, the feeling of depression is over an extended period, can last even for a lifetime. Sadness is an emotional pain which is a reaction to situations. The reasons for sadness are apparent. It could be linked to the death of a closed one, financial losses, failures, homesickness, breakups, fight with the best friend, and so on... Depression is a serious medical illness where one is sad about everything. A situation where everything is fine but the person still feels miserable. Shockingly, there is no apparent reason for depression. Yes, you read it right. A person can feel depressed for no reason.  A sad person craves for the moments once rejoiced; they miss the activities which used to excite them. In case of a depressed person, nothing seems to pull their interest, not even the things which used to give them pleasure earlier...  A sad person relates their sadness only to the causes of sadness. They do not trigger their overthinking mode. The intensity of pain is confined to the reasons for sadness. A depressed person is already hurt. And so, they get affected by petty issues beyond boundaries. They overthink about it. In the process, find self-hurting reasons which have no relevance to the primary cause. As a result, the intensity of pain is unbearable. Feel is the essence of happiness. When a person is sad, he/she doesn’t lose the ability to feel. With depression, the person loses the ability to feel. They feel less and think more. In extreme stages of depression, the feel quotient is almost dead, and the person stops getting affected by anything and everything happening around. When a person feels sad, the motive in their life never subsides. He/She does not give up on their dreams, passion, goals, and ambitions.  A person feeling depressed does not have aims and aspirations. They have no purpose in life. They are unaware of where their life is leading to. A sad person follows the routinary sleep and diet patterns. Even if the pattern gets disturbed, it is for a short time span. In case of a depressed person, it lasts way longer than that... the person may become an insomniac or sleep all day…With diet, either they don’t eat at all or keep munching on abnormal quantities at abnormal timings.  With sadness, one does not feel tired and fatigue the whole day, every day. The reasons can be attributed to the causes of sadness. With depression, one does not feel getting out of the bed the entire day, every day. On top of that, the cause of tiredness and fatigue can be linked to literally nothing. Yes, read it right!!! When a person has reasons to feel sad, he will be sad....

Super-sensitive this, and it's time we talk about it. I believe you will connect to this post if you have ever faced prolonged sadness or depression. Maybe you have never faced the dark. And it's beautiful! But that doesn't assure you will never. Take this as an eye-opener to experience how it feels to be on the other side. So that you could help the depressed win the battle over their mental miseries. And the first thing you need to realize is talking about mental health is still a social stigma in most parts of the world.  It leads to a vicious circle. The poor sufferers are unable to recognize the mental issues. They cannot speak up. Even if few of us do, we are misunderstood. And the lack of awareness continues... The unsung battle There are many people like you and me who are desperate for help. But people on the other side cannot recognize our seeking. Mental condition cannot be apparently seen, it is the reason battling depression has become a humongous challenge. The one suffering does not talk about it, continues to avoid, and as a result, and struggles to the untie the knots to sanity. The other big reason dejected people keep battling alone is that people don’t comprehend their plight. Trust me, it takes immense courage for them to make such confessions. But when they do so, instead of listening and helping them out, your approach to their problems is one of the following: You present your own worldly problems before them. You blame them, make fun of their issues. You don’t take their problems seriously and avoid them. Even if you advise, those are just your foolish half-cooked philosophies which cause more harm and no good. And as a result, they sink further. You might wonder: Why should I listen to their problems? I am struggling myself, who will listen to my problems? Yes you might have many such questions. Just listen I can understand... as they are struggling to cope with their challenges, so are you. But don’t you think, just because you are human and so are they, you should at least listen to them, even if you have no solutions to offer. When you listen, there are two conditions possible. Either you have a solution or you don't. When you have a solution, do you realize that you are a potential lifesaver? Yes, you are... Just a couple of good pieces of advice can give them the needed strength to take their problems head-on. And their approach to problems changes significantly. And even when you don’t have a solution, at least listen to them and express your concern. They will definitely feel esteemed and wanted. Trust me, depressed people unburden themselves significantly if you just listen to them patiently.  What you must realize is: You must learn to console than to become their self-proclaimed counselors. But is that happening? No, it’s not... It's bizarre that everyone wants to get heard. Nobody cares about patience to contemplate other's problems first. There is no denying the fact that most of us consider our own challenges as the biggest in this world. As a result, we are not patient enough to listen to others’ problems.  The bitter truth It’s getting painful...

Did you ever feel depressed? If you have, you know there are many medicinal drugs available which we call the anti-depressants. My encounter with depression I was under the influence of depression medication for 5 years. One day I realized those anti-depressants have stopped soothing my mind. And I was in desperate need of permanent solutions. I asked myself: What is the best way to overcome depression naturally? How can I overcome depression without medication naturally?  I  even tried connecting to people whom I thought would comprehend my disorientation to thoughts and emotions. I was not too late to realize: Though it's easy to give theoretical pieces of advice on how to overcome depression, it looks impossible when it comes to its practical implementation. The person who never felt depressed at any point cannot guide you with the remedies to overcome depression. Therefore, it becomes imperative to express yourself to a person who can completely comprehend what you are going through. Bits of advice like try to be happy and stay away from negativity can do more harm than good to you. That's because these suggestions indicate the person cannot feel even 1 percent of your plight. Every depressed person is aware of these bits of advice the question remains 'How?' Here, I shall share a few practices which I followed in my gloomy past and came out of it strong. 14 ways to overcome depression naturally Meditate It is the best way to overcome depression naturally. To be honest, until my mind tasted the meditated feel, this technique sounded very boring to me. Always thought it was a waste of time but once I started practicing it, it was a magical feeling which I had never experienced before. Want to know the best part? I slowly revived my lost feel which made me realize the true meaning of being aware in the present moment.  Check out: 8 meditation techniques for complete beginners Follow compassion Helping others and bringing a smile to the faces of unfortunate people is the best you can bring a smile to your face. Don't believe me? Try it. If you are capable enough to feed the emotional or financial pain of people, never hold back. Trust me, Compassion is a gateway to the feeling of contentment, which is one of the best counter-attacks of depression. Listen to upbeat music It is one of the simplest ways to overcome depression naturally. Music is the food for the soul. Listening to cheerful music not only uplifts the mood but always keeps you away from thoughts. And once you start thinking less, the mind cuts the chords with depressive thoughts.  Eat healthy to feel healthy Your mental health is deeply connected to your physical health. Enrich your diet with food high in unsaturated fat like omega3. And did anyone tell you about the miracle ingredient turmeric? Never ignore its remarkable powers working as antidepressants. Please stay away from alcohol—the silent killer. It is an elusive stress buster. Not only it harms your physical health, but it also ruins your mental health as well. Accept yourself the way you are  Keep reminding yourself you are a beautiful soul. So please be good to yourself.  You need to realize quickly that everyone is wired differently and...

What is depression? While it is common for everyone to surface negative emotions, there are people who face these emotions intensely for an elongated time. Depression is the extreme of mental illness which triggers from a single negative thought and then takes a severe form. It affects both physical and mental health. Sometimes, there is no apparent reason for depression and this makes it even worse. In most cases, it is hard to identify a depressed person. Let us try to figure out the symptoms of depression... 1. Thinking more and feeling less Feel is essential for happiness... Revive the feel! Unnecessary thinking not only leads to negative thinking but also keeps you away from feeling the distinct emotions. 2. Non-awareness in the present moment You are lost in your past or busy thinking about the future. As a result, you don’t feel the now without realizing that real happiness is nowhere except the now. It is independent of the outside world. If your sense organs are not consciously performing the respective roles assigned, you lose the awareness in the present moment. And deny the real happiness. 3. Inability to say no to others You are concerned about pleasing others even at the cost of displeasing yourself. You agree with others even if your inner-self disagrees with it. 4. Waiting for the right moment to be happy You are not happy now. The definition of your happiness depends on people and place. You crave for happiness outside without realizing that it is inside you. 5. Inability to enjoy solitude You don’t enjoy your alone time and fear the loneliness. You are lonely even in a crowd. Find out: How can you convert the feeling of loneliness into solitude? 6. Not content with the possessions and credentials You expect too much out of you and as a result, keep on demeaning yourself. Instead of feeling proud of your achievements, you keep counting your failures. You keep coming hard on yourself, lose self-respect and self-esteem in the process. 7. Comparison and competition with others   Instead of feeling blessed by comparing yourself with the people less privileged than you, the grass on the other side is always greener to you. You tend to attract negative emotions like jealousy and fear in the process, and eventually, begin to call depression. 8. Too much emphasis on physical appearance and physical health You over-think about your physical appearance and physical health so much that it infuses stress and fear. Gradually, you kill the love for yourself. Again, it is a gateway to depression. 9. Severe and frequent mood swings It is common to encounter mood swings. But when you encounter it frequently and abnormally, there is a lot to ponder upon. It is an eminent sign of depression.  10.The illusion of being judged by others You fear the judgments of people and so your subsequent move is according to people. It never allows you to do whatever you feel. You dwell inside others’ aura. 11. An unfresh tired mind You could not feel the freshness of mind even in the mornings. You feel drowsy and your mind is always fatigued for no reason. 12. Habituation to drinking You don’t feel happy unless you...

Any single event or a set of events can trigger a thought process, which can lead to negativity. It is a vicious circle which starts with a single thought and then takes a severe form. Let us try to seek solutions. A tree cannot stand tall until it's roots are strong. Likewise, instead of wasting our energy on negativity, we should focus on the cause of the problem which is inducing negativity. Straight out, most of the times, the root cause of negativity is overthinking. A brain is a powerful tool and therefore is extremely difficult to control the flow of thoughts. Nevertheless, what we can monitor is the quality of our thoughts. We do not have to burden our mind unnecessarily with petty issues. We never realize when these small things start taking a toll on our mental health, leading to negativity.  Let us start from the beginning... Let us try to start our day with a smile even if we don't feel like smiling. It will be our conscious effort to start our day positive. Let us try to take out some time for a walk or some exercise. Definitely, it will release some happy hormones. Nature is the biggest healer and the greatest source of positive energy.  Connecting to it via meditation can do wonders in our lives. Our diet also plays a significant role in staying physically and mentally healthy. A healthy body holds a healthy brain that will help to think positively. Let us follow compassion. Helping the needy leads to contentment and eliminates negativity. Coming back to feelings, whenever we feel that something is bothering us, we should never hesitate to talk to a person who is close to us.We should never hold our thoughts, always allow them to flow out. 'Expressing' our inside world to the outside world is a deliberate attempt to convert the negativity to positivity.   We must also summon into minds that 'Change' is a part of our life. Let us grow every day by adapting to changes. Sometimes, we are afraid of changes because we enjoy our comfort zone.  However, it is necessary to choose a change over comfort zone. Small changes in life can do wonders.  A single ray of hope can vanish the darkness of our souls. Let us try to connect with the people who are less privileged than us. Surely, we will see a whole new different world. We must always keep in mind that life is too short and unpredictable to feel negativity. Let us enjoy it.                 

It is virtually impossible to answer this question in a few words. In fact, one cannot overcome depression reading a few lines. Nonetheless, this post might be helpful. In short, negative thoughts, stress, expectations, idleness are some of the many reasons leading to depression. Well, we must always try to find out the source of our negative thoughts and then act on it. Please do refer this post to understand the flow of negativity. Most of the times, we don’t talk about these things. We keep things inside and that makes our condition worse. It is essential to pour out these emotions before they damage our thought process. Expressing is very important.  Remember, negativity can be converted to positivity if it is not retained inside you. We must talk to our loved ones about our feelings and try to connect with people. It helps a lot. Also, we must try to do things which we are good at , than to do things imposed on us. Moreover, we should try not to sit idle. Let us make ourselves available to the opportunities. Indulging in a hobby surely helps. Connecting to nature, going for jogging, playing a sport; these are very good mind and body detoxifiers. Reading something inspirational, listening to good music are also very useful in elevating the mood. Sometimes, it is very important to honor ourselves or give ourselves a treat. Recognition is a very important motivational tool.  Learning to say “NO” is also equally important. We must never overburden ourselves with work or thinking. Work should always be enjoyed. Remember, fighting depression is a continuous process. Never expect miracles overnight.

This write-up is quite close to my heart as it is straight out from my heart. I was going through an ugly phase in my life, and like many others didn't have the courage to accept it. That phase has taught me a lot and it is my responsibility to share a few of my realizations. As it comes: First of all, be patient. RELAX. It is entirely reasonable. In fact, don’t forget to Thank God as He has made you an emotionally active person. Also, you are smarter and pro-active than many others. It is because you at least understood, realized and accepted the fact that you are facing rational problems and now, you are ready to challenge it and find the solutions to these problems. It is the reason why you are here, scrolling down, seeking solutions to solve your physiological mysteries. Well done mate! You deserve a pat on your back as you landed on the right harbor.  Believe me; I can completely understand what you are going through from inside. It is the flood of negative emotions inside you, which is not only keeping you away from happiness but also choking your breath.  Reasons to feel negative: I know your reasons to feel negative might be varied and classified. Sometimes, you blame people, at times situations and sometimes destiny for your negativity. Actually, It is opposite to the way you think.You need to realize that facing negativity is not a problem.A bitter realization is on its way...You need to realize the cause of your negativity is no one except YOU. It might have come hard at you but most of the times, it is a fact. The sooner you realize it, the sooner you act to target the right cause for your negativity and subsequently, act upon it. Friends, we all love the blame game. Nevertheless, what happens after the blame game? Do you feel light or does your negativity gets eliminated? No, never. In fact, it acts as a base to attract more negative energies. This process goes on and on until you become an entirely negative person. The entire process: You need to comprehend the vicious circle, which is ruining us. It will enable you to target the right problem and work on that. Let me explain this vicious circle by boiling down to the nitty-gritty. The vicious circle: Idleness- Thinking- Overthinking- Feel less- Losing the awareness in the present moment-Losing happiness- Negative thinking- A fully negative person- Blame game- Non-productivity/Idleness. This flow chain says it all. Let me explain it to you quickly. You are not always working. Sometimes, when your mind is not working, instead of feeling and enjoying the now, most of us involve our minds in idle-thinking. Idle-thinking is extremely dangerous as your mind is not thinking about anything productive that time. When that thinking is stretched for an elongated time, it leads to overthinking. Overthinking about anything non-productive acts as a base to attract other negative energies. One point to be noted is that it is the idle-thinking, which I am talking about,...