de·pres·sion
dəˈpreSH(ə)n/
noun
- 1.feelings of severe despondency and dejection."self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression"
- 2.a long and severe recession in an economy or market."the depression in the housing market"
- Although we do not use the later of the definition for this post, it is still relevant to daily living.
I am having a conversation with someone and she stated she suffers from "chronic depression" on a daily basis. I too have dealt with depression but not at this level.
As we talked about depression, she shared with me thoughts of suicide and thoughts of "Feeling Blue". She told me that her and her husband of 17 years are experiencing many challenges that are eating away at the love they once shared and that the distance has added even more depression. She had gained a lot of weight over the years and now is losing more weight than even before. She also stated that her hair has thinned out so bad that she only wears wigs to "camouflage" her look.
As we talked about the changes she is going through, she advised me that she never really sought out counseling. I was not shocked! Simply because "we" as a race sometimes think that this a "white" thing and that black folks don't need counseling. I beg the differ. I say we do and more so than ever before. With the pressures of society and social media, it is very easy to "compare" yourself to others without a single thought.
At any rate she shared with me things that have transpired in her life that led her to this depression. One thing I know for sure is that I can relate. Is there really a cure for this what I now call a disease? Or is it something that is plague in our lives due to the changes in society.
The conversation continues and now I know that my healing for my own life must begin. We vowed to remain in each others life as accountability partners. This basically means I will continue to push her to make the changes that she needs to progress in living depression free. Will this push me easy? Maybe. Can it be done? Maybe. One thing I know for sure is anything is possible.
Often times we do not want to share our inner feelings because we do not want to be judged. But my thoughts are we are judged regardless! I find it being done more often than even before. Once we are judged, we (sometimes) set up in our minds that this is who we really are in life. What other people say really does affect us in our daily lives.
Let's take a look at depression and what it can do to us:
Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. ...
Loss of interest in daily activities. ...
Appetite or weight changes. ...
Sleep changes. ...
Anger or irritability. ...
Loss of energy. ...
Self-loathing. ...
Reckless behavior.
Now let's look at a few things we can do to beat depression:
Meditate- This has been my all time relief! Research has shown that formal practices of meditation can halve the risk of future clinical depression in people who have already been depressed several times, its effects comparable to antidepressant medications.
Pray- Lots of folks lump meditation and prayer together. I think they are very different. Meditation, for me, is a mental-health exercise of being aware of my breath and staying in the present moment as much as possible. Prayer would be a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship. It would be to show gratitude or humiliation of repentance and etc.
I have begun to use meditation along with my crystals. These three are "known" to assist you during your depressed moments: Smoky Quarts, Lepidolite, Tigers Eye.
Take some time to research these and connect with them. I am not saying this will replace any meds or doctors order. However I know people who have used them and they have assisted me as well.
Let's beat depression!
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