A friend / client of mine sent an email yesterday, apologizing about not having gotten back to me before, saying she had been depressed.
My Self immediately responded: It’s not depression – it’s trying to force yourself to love what you do not love. Which can’t be done…. even with heavy drugs! : >
So many diagnoses of depression in our country now. So many mood altering drugs. Which over time will damage the liver, causing another cascade of problems – and the need for more and different drugs.
To me, what’s going on is that, from babyhood on, we are taught to go for security at any cost. So we sign up for any old job, most of which are mind numbing and don’t help make the world a better place. And we can see no way out. The fact that many no longer believe in heaven – so there’s not that to look forward to – makes it all worse.
(I know there is no hell. Heaven / Home does exist. But I don’t believe in waiting to be happy until I get there.)
The minute we allow ourselves to be talked into believing there’s no way out – Depression shows up. Many of us get tough with ourselves, insist that we can use willpower to overcome this unease and fear. But that doesn’t work either. We criticize ourselves every night and every day.
Lots of paths out of here. First off, quit fighting yourself. Allow yourself to acknowledge basic unhappiness with your life. Then just sit there for a while (minutes or days) looking at the pictures in your mind of what doesn’t work for you.
I’d be willing to bet, if you looked at the pictures as though they were in someone else’s mental album, you’d find yourself saying ‘Of course she’s not happy. Nobody would be!’ That’s one good way to begin forgiving yourself, and seeing that you are not a failure.
A healthy next step is to get good and angry with all the messages, from friends, family and the media, that you followed into this trap. When you’re mad enough, ask yourself ‘How can I get out of here? What are some steps I can take?’
Then you’re on the way to healing. : >