The Battle

When we fall, generally we have a bruise and pain. The pain may be either severe or moderate depending upon the injury that we sustain and our suffering will be either of a short or a long duration depending upon the injury. Similarly if we are infected by a disease that is curable, we may suffer for a few days. Our body itself may develop resistance to virus and the disease may disappear, or it may disappear after treatment. Of course, to some ailments there is no cure at all. Sometimes, we may have to suffer through out our life. All depends upon the nature of disease that infects us. Many a times we suffer and suffer and get accustomed or used to pain and sufferings related to that ailment. Some ailments make us disabled. People blame these sufferings as fate, bad stars, or curse .Generally sufferings by anybody attract sympathy. Likewise are psychological problems too.

Generally,majority of people suffering from psychic problems don't appear unhealthy outwardly at all. Normally, others don't come to know of their problems unless they are shared or they envisage interest in them or study them. Psychic problems are peculiar. They are of various types. They deserve human sympathy. How an incident would affect a person psychologically and what would be its effects it's difficult to forecast. Psychological problems need a lot of study, attention, patience, and counseling more than medicine. On account of psychological problems one suffers within. In other words in psychological problems one suffers mentally more than physically. What one suffers how much one suffers others wouldn't be aware at all.

Human mind always tries to control a human being and a human being also tries to have control over their mind. They try to over pour one another. Overcoming of a psychological problem isn't an easy task at all. It is an uphill task. It is a battle. It's a battle wherein often one has a little or no confidence in self to carry on the struggle. One is forced to participate in this battle. One never fights here with enthusiasm or pleasure. It's a battle fought to regain courage and confidence. In short, one symbolizes the desperation and hopelessness in this battle.

There is always a history behind such a battle. Here one's opponent is none other than their own mood. This is a unique battle. This is a battle quite different than battles which we come across in history.It is always fought under adverse circumstances. This battle is like learning swimming after falling into water. It is a lone battle. One has to fight it alone. Of course, it does not leave anybody. It involves everybody one day or other. Anyone may have to take part in this kind of battle.Age or gender does not bar a person from participation in this battle. Sometimes only friends, relatives or doctors may lend a helping hand in this battle.It isn't an ordinary battle.It can be a quiet, an average or a fierce heavy battle. Severity of it is unimaginable.

This is not a battle that is fought on a battlefield between two warriors with weapons in hand. There is no bloodshed whatsoever in this battle. In this strange battle, physically one may not die but mentally one faces death frequently. It is this battle that changes the course of one's life. It is during this battle many qualities or talents which one has, are either blunted or drain away. One’s greatest weapons here are their willingness, honesty and patience. In this battle one is attacked more mentally than physically. It is freeing from a siege laid by the thoughts.

It is mind that's the battle field here. It is battle fought to change thought process. It is a battle fought to convert negative thoughts into positive thoughts. Failures make one more and more desperate in this battle. This is not a battle of words. This is not a legal battle even. There is no issue or dispute to be resolved .One may wonder what type of a battle this is. But this is by no means less than any other battle that one comes across in a war. How long this battle would continue nobody knows. Definitely it would not culminate in a couple of days. Its duration cannot be forecast. It may be a prolonged battle that may last till one breathes their last. The fight would not proceed in the same strain through out. Earlier, this battle ends it is always better. More patience one has better it is always for one to emerge successful in this battle. It is impossible to predict whether one would have that much patience to continue the fight to the finish. There are occasions when one tries to runaway from the battle and they find themselves between devil and deep sea. At that stage, their ability to grasp gets impaired. They cannot make proper decisions too. It is a tussle, which generally takes place in a human mind. It is a battle within. It is a fight where one's thoughts clash. If one resists a thought, it rears its head again with more intensity. It is not easy to emerge victorious in that clash. It is a restless mind.

Human mind cannot be idle. Either positive thoughts or negative thoughts emerge in it. One after another thought emerges in human mind just like waves. It is not easy for one to be the master of their mind. The battle starts within one's mind as soon as the negative thoughts take control or in other words start dominating their mind and bunch of thoughts start pouring into their mind. They do not come in single spies but in battalion. One starts getting all sorts of pseudo pains. All types of discouraging and intimidating thoughts occupy the mind. Frequent motions and urination are also common. At what stage of life it starts we do not know. How it starts also we do not know. One feels helpless. One feels insecure. Life becomes a hell. One faces every situation with much difficulty. One feels incompetent to attend their normal duties. One is totally perplexed. One's existence itself seems to be in jeopardy. It is called depression.

There are various types of depressions. Depression is coupled with anxiety too. It causes variance in human behavior. It gives rise to mood variance. It is decreased levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the frontal cortex of the brain that causes depression. Some opine that depression is hereditary. Very often, a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors is involved in the onset of a depressive disorder. If the intensity of thoughts is not much, it is called mild depression. Whereas when a person is severely disturbed mentally, it is called “severe depression.” Psychiatrists generally prescribe some tranquilizers or anti depressants depending upon the case history. They subject the person to periodical counseling to find out the root cause for the trouble. In case of severe depression, they subject the person to “Electroconvulsive Therapy.” This is also known as shock therapy. Severe depression is a chronic disease. It needs always aggressive treatment.

If a clock functions well, then only it fetches a correct time. Similarly only if a person’s mind functions well, only then their thinking is proper. The trouble with persons suffering from depression is that they are fickle minded. They lack concentration. Their thinking capacity gets affected much. Their intellectual potential decreases day by day. Slowly their qualities like common sense, and presence of mind show a downward trend. Depressed person generally looks always worried. Their behavior is generally not normal. Rarely there is a smile on their face. Seldom are they happy. They do a lot of thinking.

More one worry more the depression would be.Sadness has a nasty habit of turning into depression. Generally they do not have proper sleep. Their thoughts and feelings get suppressed. They start talking shouting etc in the sleep. Doctors usually put them on tranquilizers. Depressed persons have poor judging capacity .We rarely see a smile on their face. Depression contains an underlying component of fear and anxiety. Depression is pain directed against self. Often, they run from pillar to post in their enthusiasm to become normal. As a result no psychiatrist would be able to study them well and the person would be subjected to different medicines. The person would not be regular in medication. They switch from Ayurvedic medicines to allopathic and then to, homeopathic medicines. They do not stick to anyone of the medicines permanently and due to cumulative effect of all the mistakes that they commit, their agony multiplies.

There are instances when the depressed person on some improvement discontinues medicines without consulting the doctor and the depression occurs once again. The depressed person has no belief not only in self but also in others. No doubt in the initial stages; they try to win sympathy of others. But only a few people are humane in this world. Their attempts boomerang. They become a laughing stock a midst their colleagues As such, they start evading friends. They neither share their thoughts with others nor take anybody into their confidence. Life becomes monotonous to them.

Depression is nothing but a battle that takes place in one's mind. They are always agitated. Depressed person is just like a person who gropes in the dark. The turmoil that they under go no body can understand. Sometimes they prefer lunacy instead of depression. If they are not cured, they need tablets to pass a day. In other words they survive on tablets.

There the battle does not stop. The depressed individual has to cope with their married life and with their career for livelihood. How one could please the boss or higher ups with this state of mind ? Naturally, the colleagues steal the show. This adds salt to their injury. The individual makes many wrong decisions. They do not climb the ladder in the career path according to their own expectation. Everywhere disappointment would be in store for them. The management would have a least faith in their abilities. Failures usually aggravate their depression further.

What type of married life such people could have? Such couples generally quarrel and always there would be discord among them. There could be no happiness in that family. The children born in such a family would also suffer a lot. They seldom get due affection and proper guidance from their parents . Because of depression one would not be able to take bold decisions. As such they would lose their dominance in the family. Generally everybody would try to dominate in such a family. A wife would dominate the husband. A husband would try to disband his wife. The condition of family would be really a pitiable one. These facts also add to the woes of depressed people.

Depression becomes their life partner. Life is really a struggle for existence to them. All their dreams get shattered. Their potential gets wasted. Their capacity to realize gets seriously impaired too. Face is said to be mirror into the mind. In this case face could express one’s agony but to a little extent only. The rest of the turmoil only the depressed knows.

Depressed people would not like their enemy to undergo depression. If anyone comes out of severe depression, it is just like a rebirth to him or her. It is just like a battle won. Their joy would have no bounds. People suffering from depression do a lot of thinking concerning them. A person suffering from depression is generally self-centered. He or she thinks more about themselves. They are very sensitive. They do not yield to any amount of advice. They move farther and farther from everybody. Their contention is that it is easy to preach but it is always very difficult to practice.

If people with depression come out of depression they would become extremely happy, as one would have been when a lost child is found. One with prolonged depression learns to live with it. Happiness is always at arm's length to them. Astrologers would say that stars are not in good position. Aged people in the house would say this is all due to evil spirits play. Whatever may be the reason? One should not only give due importance to their mental health but also join the sufferers in their battle against depression by rendering all types of assistance in whatever way they could. One should pour positive thoughts into their mind. In this context we can remind them that there has to be sunshine after rain, there has to be laughter after pain. Why worry?”

Everywhere in the modern world depression is rampant. The symptoms of depression vary from person to person. It is important to understand that there is no blood test or brain scan for depression. Further, severity of symptoms varies with individuals and also varies over time. Depression can also affect the physical health in men differently from women. Depression involves the body, mood, and thoughts. Depression is a major subject of discussion under Psychology. It is with depression millions suffer even in this modern era.

In, America thirty percent of their population suffers from depression. The reason for many suicidal cases is depression. Depression decreases one's interest in life. It affects one’s efficiency too. One may have other symptoms like constant feelings of sadness, irritability, or tension ,loss of energy, feeling tired despite lack of activity a change in appetite, with significant weight loss or weight gain and a change in sleeping patterns, such as difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or sleeping too much etc. The economic cost for this disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering on account of depression cannot be estimated even. Further, depression affects those persons who are concerned with depressed in one way or other too.

Depression ruins lives of many people. It is a ghost that haunts a human mind. Depressed person can be compared to a sinking ship. That is why it is always better if depression is tackled at the earliest. It is a treatable illness. In fact, about 80% of people who get help for their depression have a better quality of life. It can be cured with help of psychotherapy and medicines.In addition to psychotherapy and medication, following exhilarate one’s recovery from depression. The more of them that one does, the faster one is likely to feel better.

1. Do not remain in bed or sleep for more than 8-hours a day. Over-sleeping has been shown to increase depressed feelings.

2. Get outside for at least 1/2-hour between 11 AM and 2 PM. Bright light has been shown to have an antidepressant effect. Getting out of doors even on a moderately overcast day gives one the light one requires.

3. Walk briskly, or get some other exercise, for at least 30-minutes every day. Taking a walk out of doors between 11 AM and 2 PM takes care of both one’s need for bright light and one’s need for exercise.

4. Do breathing exercises like pranayama regularly.

5. Daily meditate

6. Do whatever you enjoy. It will give your stress level a reason to disappear.It could be dance classes, yoga sessions or being part of chanting groups.

7.Indulge in a hobby .Indulge in pleasurable activities . Take 15 minutes out everyday to pursue your hobby. it is a sure shot stress buster.

One cannot get rid of depression overnight. Healing is a gradual process. The simple solution for disappointment or depression is "Get up and get moving. Physically move. Do. Act. Get going." One should be determined to drive depression out. Further, if one is determined healing takes much less time too. One should be persistent in their efforts also. Sharing of thoughts with somebody who can be trusted is quite crucial in case of this ailment. It is always better and safe if one unburdens their thoughts with a professional.

One may have been to therapy, but for some reason has not found satisfactory relief of their depression. The failure of therapy in no way means it is their fault or that therapy will not eventually work for them. In most cases, what is at fault is the vast number of problems inherent in the mental health system and/or their particular therapist. The problems facing the mental health system are far too numerous and complex.Just closing the eyes and sitting is not meditation. Even modern medical science has accepted that meditation is the state of being when thought ripples fall down. Psychotherapists have utilized the EEG machine to record our brainwaves and categorized them in three segments – the alpha or the woken state, Beta or the dream state and Delta or the meditative state – where the thought pulses drop to the lowest levels. The most powerful personal growth and mind development tool on earth is meditation. Meditation is a process of familiarization with one's own mental life leading to long-lasting changes in cognition and emotion.

How to meditate? 1. Sit in a good chair in a comfortable position. 2. Relax all your muscles as well as you can. 3. Stop thinking about anything, or at least try not to think about anything. 4. Breath out, relaxing all the muscles in your breathing apparatus. 5. Repeat the following in 10 - 20 minutes: -- Breath in so deep that you feel you get enough oxygen. -- Breath out, relaxing your chest and diaphragm completely. -- Every time you breathe out, think the word "one" or another simple word inside yourself. You should think the word in a prolonged manner, and so that you hear it inside you, but you should try to avoid using your mouth or voice. 6. If foreign thoughts come in, just stop these thoughts in a relaxed manner, and keep on concentrating upon the breathing and the word you repeat.

We have to keep practicing till the thought ripples cease to exist. What emerges then is the insight. The best of the mind’s performance has been guided by this power and has made people stand tall in the Hall of Human Excellence. That state of supreme bliss and peace, which is more valuable than anything else on earth.