you’re reading this and been diagnosed with depression and given medication, the important thing is to take it but don’t stop there. The medication is going to make you feel better and with feeling better, you can continue studying and learning how you can heal yourself through different methods. Yes, I’ve heard people say that medication can be a crutch but if you needed a crutch to help you walk better, you’d use it right? Sometimes a crutch is what we need to get over the hump and which helps us persevere in learning to walk without it.
“Most of us grow up believing that we are not good enough to be loved for just being ourselves. So we try desperately to live up to a self-created image of how we should be. The constant struggle to uphold this idealized version of ourselves causes many of our difficulties. It is, therefore, important to discover on what assumptions you have created your own idealized image and how it has caused distress and frustration in your life. You will find it has achieved the exact opposite of what you had hoped it would. This discovery may be painful, but will allow you to reevaluate the way you are presenting yourself to the world and help you to become your true, relaxed self.” Eva Pierrakos, The Pathwork of Self-Transformation
Depression is an affective disorder (dramatic changes and extreme mood swings) that affects us physically, mentally and emotionally. Any one of us can be catapulted into depression by the death of a loved one, a change in residence; an unexpected financial crisis; bullying; news that suddenly shocks or upsets us; a job that we thought was a given; years working for a company that suddenly goes bankrupt; a relationship breakup; verbal or physical abuse. Whatever the cause, we lose our sense of direction, our footing, strong irrational feelings and emotions take over and we either overreact to everything or find ourselves withdrawing deep inside.
Symptoms of depression can include: low energy, fatigue, feeling slowed down, poor appetite or overeating, weight gain or loss, insomnia or increased sleep, inability to concentrate, agitation, loss of interest, irritability, indecisiveness, feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness, guilt, fatigue, energy loss, headaches, backaches, digestive disorders, inability to perform sexually or decreased sexual drive, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. (Not all these symptoms occur in a person who is depressed, but some or many are present).
“Depression: This involves a deep inner sadness and longing for life to different, a conflict between the ideal and the real, between who we would like to be and who we are. There is no doubt that there is a chemical or hormonal imbalance that can cause this state, but the cause of the imbalance may be found in deep, underlying attitudes and emotional issues. How much pressure to succeed did we experience when we were children? Have we experienced life-changing events, such as war, that make ordinary life seem meaningless in comparison? Have we lost our purpose and reason for living maybe because a loved one has been lost? Depression clearly demonstrates the relationship between mind and body, for as the mind becomes depressed so the body loses its vitality and healthy functioning. Deep relaxation and a reconnection with our purpose are essential.” Deb Shapiro
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