The art of healing: Five natural ways to prevent depression

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person’s thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being. But you are far more powerful than Depression!!

Suparna is Director Marketing in a FMCG Company, one of the most successful professionals in industry. Kunal is Head-SBU. They met at work and fell for each other. Kunal is one of the featured business leaders, they both are very similar and loved by their peers, subordinates and bosses too. Suparna is although a little less rational but is assertive and positive. Kunal is very meticulous, process oriented but emotionally sensitive. They had misunderstandings and arguments and broke up through one text…and it was over!!!

Suparna went through a difficult phase, she had mixed emotions; sadness, anxiety, emptiness, hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness, guilt, irritability, shame, restlessness and several sleepless nights. She lost interest in activities that were once pleasurable. She experienced loss of appetite and had problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions.  And one day she was terribly helpless and hopeless , that she attempted suicide.

Suparna is not a patient of clinical depression. We all face high and low peaks in attaining life’s chief milestones- career, relationship, children and some major illness.. Blaming people, situations and fortune does not solve problems but drains our energy, we all know despite trying hard things go wrong. It is perfectly OK!

We have to learn to take charge of our life.

Yeah! Nature had no clue that the most superior species will advance enough to take control of life….so it did the best, it gave breast milk with magic healing qualities, it gave temporary teeth before a child develop cognition. When we sync ourselves with the laws of nature internally, we attain peace and harmony in our mind, body and soul! And nature is all about continuous flow, no stagnation! If we get stuck with an idea or fixed thought, our mind faces emotions of anger, resentment and frustrations.

Whatever the reason-career issues, relationship, loss of close ones, illness or anything else..to recover from this phase, one has to put efforts consciously and effectively!.

A Healthy Routine: The first and most important step is to stay on routine. In the recovery phase one has to make a goal for survival. You might have to live on a day-to-day basis, you might be feeling you are living in instalments but take the remote in your hands and just stay on a healthy routine-

• Practicing right breathing pattern/choose group yoga or exercise
• Make a buddy for exercise or nature walk
• Eat frequent but fibre enriched small meals full of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Socialise with an aim of spreading happiness
• Dress up well.
• Sleep on time and minimum 7-8 hours.

• If possible, follow natural schedule, getting up with the sun, the best gift one can give to self.

Learn to witness and accept your emotions; Let thoughts float freely:

Whatever …never forget it is a phase, a time taking phase. You might feel so many emotions –anxiety, anger, irritation, hopelessness, helplessness, low self-worth and much more. Just witness these emotions, do not hold them.

Stop seeking answers, don’t over analyse and never feel bad for being sensitive; it’s not a crime, tears are not sign of weakness.

“Nature dos not hurry, yet accomplish everything- Lau Tzo”

For fast acting relief try slowing down

Relax! It is ok to feel low. Don’t try to resist your emotions. Don’t trap yourself in running directionless. Patience and persistence are the parents of excellence. Everything is perfect in the moment. Slowing down helps us to evaluate the shape of our life and gives a room to bring positive changes. Deep in our hearts we all know we shall overcome, have faith in this.

Healing self by healing others: Joy of sharing

Trust me there is no other way to stay happy! Spread happiness for others, agree or not, but we are human not driven by chemicals but emotions, spend some time for helping and supporting people around us, it is not just a stress buster but it helps you to regain your self-worth. You feel good about yourself for significantly contributing for well-being of others. Its helps us to get in sync with our internal flow- peace & harmony.

Informal preventive therapies:

Nurture your mind by engaging in informal preventive therapies: Learn art, music, drama or dance, cooking …novelty is a therapy.

Cooking teaches us how small changes in process bring changes in results and that’s the beauty of uniqueness. Cooking also helps us to have patience and give a quick sense of accomplishment.

Music is food for the soul, learning a new instrument tells us we can always start afresh. Music is very important to understand and respect the different opinions of people around. Its helps us to accept people as different. After all every musical instrument play a different tune.

Dance & drama helps us to express and put ourselves in others shoes. It brings empathy in us.

Art again is the piece of our heart, we feel heard.

“A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song –

Maya Angelou”

Before this gloominess prolongs and you fall in to clinical depression always remember ‘Self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression’.

 Self Trust is most important:

Trust me self-doubt is a trap, when we don’t have self belief, we can never trust people around us and we can never stay in peace. We keep judging others, actions continuously and stay alert which drain our brain, and we always want to approve self through others. We stay in an illusion that we deserve the best and turn self-absorbed and when things do not go our way, we feel hurt, chose quitting and carry voids forever and ultimately the accumulated pain take us down in depression.

Depression is just a state of mind! You are far more powerful than Depression!!!