Dismantling Depression

Depression lurks, simply hanging around, waiting to pounce. Depressions desire is to cause you to drown. Depression attaches to your soul and quickly digs in. It refuses to be tossed away with a simple shake. Defeating depression is not a matter of willing it to disappear. Dwell on it and it will deepen its grip. Deny it and it will darken flourishing in your disbelief.

Depression must be dealt with head on, but not to magnify it by closely examining every feeling or thought. It is defeated only by taking positive active steps to dismantle its hold on you.

Move, Meditate, Make, and Meet to dismantle  depression.

I never want to give false hope, so I will tell you there is no such thing is a 1-2-3 step process to deal with depression. Your remedy and timetable will be different from others, so you might as well stop comparing your progress to others. The basics of medical attention, medication, healthy meals are a must! After these basics are met, try some of these suggestions.

The suggestions I list are in no particular order of success and no suggestion is a  perfect fit for all depression. These are ways I have discovered to dismantle and to defend against depression setting up permanent residence in my life.

• Move - Sounds easy, but this can be so difficult when you are depressed. Get up! Get out! Get dressed! Get walking! Get rocking! Get crawling (if that is the best you can do....)! We all need to start where we can. Moving gets your blood circulating. It increases oxygen flow through your body. It burns calories. Moving gets you out of physical numbness. When you move, you begin to feel and sense your surroundings.... you recognize you are still among the living... you increase your thought processing because you take in new sights, sounds, and stimuli. You can even get wild and dance! (of course if nobody is looking!) The goal to moving is getting out of bed or off of the sofa!

• Meditate - Now this is not a time to fall back to sleep. Actively meditate outward, not inward. One of my favorite places to do this is in nature. Simply walking out doors or rocking on the front porch helps me to focus outward. Ponder and think about the things you see. I love to walk over and touch the leaves, grass, wildflowers/weedflowers, trees, rocks and let my mind consider all that is created. Some people enjoy meditating to music. Listen to the words, consider the melody, imagine the song danced or acted out. Often reading a short devotion, quote, or verse will give you enough to consider a message or lesson deeply. Allow your thoughts to meander outward growing and expanding your mindset. Another great place to contemplate is in water - a warm soaking tub, a pool, a jacuzzi, even a shower. The reason to meditate is to break the cycle of repetitious, worrying or obsessive thinking and to focus outward and upward.

• Make - You know what you enjoy doing. Normally we don't give ourselves time to create. You were made to be creative, making can awaken what is dying inside and give you an outlet to express your thoughts and emotions bottled up in a very positive way. No one is going to examine, check or grade what you make. This is a time for you to allow yourself to free up your child-like imagination. You can draw, paint, cook, craft, write, play music, sing, decorate, sculpt, etc. Awaken the desire to live in today by letting your hands get into messy, out-of-the-lines, the-sky-is-the-limit freedom to make whatever you heart desires. When you make something you awaken an inner desire to actively engage in the present.

• Meet - Interaction with God and people are essential to living. You were created to be relational. Even if you simply go to a mall to see people or any other place were you would have an opportunity to interact. Sometimes it is too hard to set up a time to meet with someone you know, but even talking with a sales clerk is healthy. We all need to connect with others. It is not so much what we say or what we do, it is about remaining relational.  If you can invite a friend for a casual cup of coffee or tea, do it. Go window shopping or meander with a friend in a bookstore. Check your newspaper and see if any local activities are planned. Frequently you can catch a play (local schools, community playhouses, city or state theaters), a book reading/signing, a class (yoga, birdwatching, cake decorating, art, Bible study), a meeting (historical, gardening, photography, or civic) or an event (like a art show or craft fair). The point of meeting is to break the isolation which is so often a big part of depression.

These ideas are just a beginning! I am sure you can suggest many more. You can dismantle depression, but no magic tricks can automatically stop depression. The most important advice I can give is to start somewhere... taking the first step is often the hardest.

What success have you found in dismantling depression? What step are you taking?