Depression And Your Spirit

I wanted to write about how depression affects us spiritually, our Souls, and the way the energy is depleting our Spirits with this emotional event. When first you start to read about this, please try to sense that this article is written with the hope that this information will help you deal with something that is very important, and perhaps even something you are trying to face alone and without mentioning it to your family and loved ones. I know that this makes it even harder to deal with, but there is something about depression that makes people feel embarrassed to talk about it, as if it is a failing on their part to handle life, thus causing their self-esteem to be lowered. They try to hide it, thinking it will "just go away", not wanting others in their family to be upset by it, but covering it up just doesn't work. With the symptoms of depression and the disruption of regular sleep patterns, trying to cope with it gets harder over time. So the advantage there is to talk about it with your family and loved ones. Make it something that is not just you privately trying to cope with it. It will make it clear up faster if you do have loving support.

Quite often people are not even realizing that they are indeed dealing with depression, as they might have not noticed the gradual effect depression has on them. It can come on gradually you see, not just overnight, but steadily and slowly. That's what is so surprising to people, the fact that they are slowly "going into depression". Sooner or later, either they themselves notice that they are having signs of depression and get worried about it, or someone else close to them notices the signs and mentions it.

Why is it so difficult for people to admit they have depression? Pressures upon us is one reason, the other is that they have difficulty now with depression to just go through a regular day. Often people feel that admitting they have depression is like admitting they have failed at life. With a society geared around success, saying you are depressed upsets some people. Dealing with life in general is harder nowadays compared to how things were a few generations ago. Trying to be so much "more" in our lives with our careers, private life, finances, sports, romance, etc. makes people feel admitting to having depression is difficult. We don't want to worry our family and loved ones, so we may slough off their comments about any signs we are showing, just so that our own Egos are not deflated, but does that attitude really have our overall best interests at heart? Ignoring something like depression is like not treating a festering wound. It will only get worse.

Over the years working with men and women with depression, I have found that they would prefer going to a person like myself who doesn't know who they are, etc. and assures their privacy, so that when it comes down to it, their personal life will not have any trace of their seeking known help. So you can see that with this issue of dealing with depression, working it through with the thought that there needs to be no shame about having depression, as it does not mean that the person is not capable of handling basic life issues. It just means that at this time they are overwhelmed. It is because they are trying to be strong, stay strong for others who depend upon them, plus deal with life's responsibilities along with this unexpected issue of depression and they try to handle it in a secretive way. I've been told that hospitals "get the strong ones in there not the weak ones", as those who are depressed try to cope quietly with it, while still trying to handle all their regular demands upon them. If you overload anything beyond its capabilities, then the results are going to be trouble. It's the same with depression. People these days are working long hours or even several jobs, taking care of children, home, finances, managing as single parents, all of which can stress a person out. It's when you keep going even though you need to refocus and realize that it is too much, is when that weight gets too hard to carry. Noticing the warning signs early is obviously very important.

Many people do have bouts of depression that are short-lived and then get over it, but with this article I am addressing the long-term or chronic depression. Grief, loss of a job and can't find another one, break-ups in romance, all those life issues are what are called "event-related depression". With event-related depression they are normally not experiencing depression beforehand, and this type of sorrow-related depression in time will pass. If it stays with the sorrow lingering, and becomes chronic, then you need to delve deeper into just what is the source of this depression and why it is staying.

Much on the Internet is offered with depression and its symptoms, but I will briefly outline major symptoms just so that you can sense the issues here. Then I would like to discuss how depression affects our Spirit, our Chakra, and our Auric Field.

The common symptoms are Sleeplessness, anxiety over things that never upset you before, worry, moodiness, restlessness, difficulty making decisions, (even simple ones), impatience, mood swings with extreme highs and lows, and low self-esteem.

With the covering up the fact of your depression for others' sake you don't want to worry others about yourself, plus you worry, too, about their suggestions you know they'll make about bringing it up to your doctor. It seems to make the issue feel like it is now escalating with that idea, and might make you cringe as you sense the problems of you thereby being put on medicines to affect your mind and body, and for how long. Usually with those prescription drugs, it is not a "quick fix" as they take time to build up in your system, so the results will come later. When it is time to go off them, again, it is usually done gradually.

Anything with the mind as a problem becomes more of a scary situation for many people as they are worried about the repercussions. So the easiest thing for them to do is to pretend that "nothing is wrong". That in effect prolongs or even allows the depression to get worse. You see, with the lack of doing anything, the cause usually still stays there, plus you get more and more worried. All that can cause a chain-reaction of anxiety causing sleeplessness, so dealing with depression is the best.

How depression affects our Spirit, our Chakras and Auric Field :

When depression first sets in, it's into the Heart Chakra, followed by encompassing the energies of the Throat Chakra along with the Mind Chakras of the 6th, the 7th, and up above into the higher consciousness. There is the issue now of that basic "fight or flight" reflex action of our personality, and if we choose the "flight" option, that fleeing part would be us just not dealing with it but in effect running away from the issue(s) that caused us the trouble in the first place. There is always something wrong that happens first with depression. We are either upset at a circumstance, ourselves, our life, someone else, but something triggers the change-over in how we deal with something. If there is something inside us that first causes the depression, such as a type of "unfixable" illness, then that resignation of it getting the better of us causes the onset of depression in some. If the person chooses the "fight" option, then that places their fate back somewhat in their own hands, but still the outcome is not guaranteed to be fixed just because we opted for the fight method. Ultimately the end realization is that all is in God's Hands, and acceptance of that which we cannot change will bring us a better comprehension and understanding of how things are here on Earth, and our coping ability will be therefore improved. Having a will to live is important, and thus in keeping with the Holy Spirit which therefore blesses us with the return gift of the Peace That Passeth All Understanding, whereby blesses us with coping much better with the overall situation. The Chakra System overall is dampened down with vibrational rate fluctuation plus overload, too, so that when one Chakra is hurting the other remaining Chakras inside the body are working even harder to soothe that one particular Chakra inside the body. That is why the emotions are affected, plus the issue of coping ability is hampered. All of the major Chakras are blanketed with the lowering of vibrations. You can see that it does trigger a negative reaction of not tolerating well any of the basic feelings associated with the way a person handles their emotions. The Auric Field also reflects this lowering of vibrations plus the inundated energy reversal. The vibrations that radiate outwardly on the normal person are inverted and drawn in so as to comfort the Spirit, which is why I mentioned that soothing action by the other Chakras. This action is often reflected in the physical reaction of the depressed person to stay in bed for long periods of time and laying in the fetal position in a self-comforting type way. This might be a temporary treatment for some of the symptoms of depression, but it truly doesn't remove the depression which is why when the person finally gets out of bed, they still are not feeling better and whole.

With a chronic depression situation, the person is not dealing properly with it, and gets more into a habit of "accept how things are", but from the standpoint of allowing the sorrow and negative feelings of the depression to take control. It is giving control over your own self to the symptoms of depression and feeling like you have no self-empowerment at all, and the pattern of acceptance stays. Hopefully by this point in time the person has also realized that they cannot go on being like this, and either they or some member of their family has noticed the change in them and makes them see a doctor or a counselor.

We ourselves are in charge of so much of our lives here, but must also realize, too, that in order to keep ourselves in balance, we need to remember that we are Spiritual Beings encased in Physical Bodies here and therefore must blend all parts of ourselves in harmony to have that "wholeness of self". These parts are our mind, body, and spirit, plus our heart. Stress to one part of us hampers and taxes the other parts. Our Heart is the one part of the Whole that is interrelated to the other three, and is affected directly much like a "central location" whereby the link to the Lord resides. So if we think in terms of our Heart being "Home Central" within the Wholeness of Self, then you can sense that we are radiating outwardly from our Heart-Mind-Body Combined, and thereby can sense our Spirit Self, too, connecting to our Spirits all as One Unit. If we realize also that we can't do it alone, can't take on all of life's complications and problems major or minor without God in our heart and life, and to give it over to the Lord, He will then take the trouble, the sorrow out of your heart. It is not unusual for people to actually physically feel their Heart Chakra lighten, like a heavy load has been physically removed off their chest, and they can now take deep, clearer breaths, free of that oppression, but you need to stick with it. Just don't think that by doing that alone it will remove all of the issues, as when someone has suffered for a time with depression, their thought pattern has been in a type of habitual "cycle of repetition" with much of their feelings and thoughts. Allow yourself some time to clear yourself of that. It is like an addict of sorts who needs to go through a cleansing period with withdrawal. But in this case, it is like a "withdrawal of self-absorption, self-pity, sorrow, low self-esteem, and thoughts turned inward. Like I said before, you need to redirect the flow of energy of the Auric Field from curling inward of itself to a sensing of your Heart is the center of who you are and linked directly to the Lord Jesus Christ, the God Within and have your energy of the Aura radiating outward in a healthy way totally linked to God. Remember in the 23rd Psalm it says "He restoreth my Soul? That is so very true, as the Lord will indeed do that if invited to. It is a real event, this restoring of your Soul, not empty words, but an actual nourishing and restoring of your Soul so that you will have that inner peace and balance you truly need.

A good habit to get into is to re-train how you are thinking with your own thoughts. By that I mean getting in touch with your own feelings, your own emotions in a healthy way. Instead of saying "I think I am ________, say I feel I am ____________. That way you are sensing with your own heart there, linking directly to your heart, and not allowing your mind to take over with what comes from your heart thwarting your linking to it. The heart and the mind will blend beautifully if you let your heart lead. It's just that simple.

What happens if you don't do that? When you bypass your emotions re-directing them totally into your mind-- or another pattern I see in people is to draw your emotions into your Third Chakra, the Solar Plexus Chakra, and then swirl it up into the Throat Chakra and then out and that way which makes you feel with your Solar Plexus Chakra, your "intuition" but not accessing the Heart Chakra, then it makes a huge swirling ball of gray darkened energy surrounding your Heart Chakra. You see, this is sometimes the case with depression, you don't link to your heart, which is where the God Within is located, your God Connection. Christ resides there and He will afford you the kindness of being there for you during your problems, if you allow Him. I am not trying to preach here about the Lord Jesus, but to clearly say that this is where people have the problems with depression when they don't allow the Lord to guide them. There are real energy links inside us, and you can't disallow that part of the Whole You. It just makes it so much harder and the recovery much longer if you don't consider this aspect of the Whole You. That is why some people who are linked strongly to the Lord and have life problems and grief as this is a normal part of life down here on Earth, but they don't crumble and collapse over it. They continue on and deal with their grief and sorrows, and let God lead them. They have that Inner Strength that comes directly from God, and they know and honor where it comes from. God will help if you allow Him. He will not force Himself on your life, but He will come to your aid if you wish it.

I want to stress here that going to a doctor and being evaluated is definitely important to do, as there are times when there is a chemical imbalance causing the depression. It does happen, but this is not always the reason for all cases of depression. Simple blood tests can analyze and determine if this is the case.

Failure to do anything about the depression only allows the trouble to remain, thus causing you to bear the burden of it all. That sometimes is too much for us and that's when the trouble starts. We think of ourselves as strong and much of the time we are, but not always. When we try to be strong for others sake taking on additional duties, responsibilities and the like, that, too, makes for an added burden which sometimes can't be born for any length of time. It's when the strong ones collapse from nervous exhaustion, depression, and lack of sleep that breaks them down. They are not paying attention to their own needs, as they are trying to be strong for another's sake. Women more so than men get depression, and it is that factor of putting themselves "on the back burner" and putting others first in their lives, trying to balance it all, along with society's pressure to be "super woman" makes for an accident looking for a place to happen. It does at times, and then when we can't cope any longer, it's then when we seek help, hopefully. Try to notice when you are first getting those indications, those first symptoms and then deal with it right off when it is in its initial stages, not when it gets to be a full-blown depression. We ourselves are not the best judges of that, and that's why it does help to have family and friends noticing about us the early symptoms. If a loved one looks worried at you and asks "are you alright"? --Don't just automatically say "sure, I'm fine". Think about it, ask yourself: "how am I feeling really?" Try to keep in touch that way with your own feelings, your own self, so that you will be also taking good care of yourself, too. It's okay to do that, too! You have to take care of yourself, too, with your emotional health, just like you do with your physical health.

Ask yourself something here: What do you ask a family member like your child for example you are taking care of, or a loved one you are concerned about? Do you ask them how they are feeling, do you ask them if they slept well, ate well, etc.? It's good to ask yourself that, too, and to be thinking in those same terms you do when caring for someone else. We wouldn't want our children skipping a meal or not getting enough sleep, so we shouldn't neglect our own self in the same manner. You ask a loved one who is upset, "what's wrong?" Why not ask yourself when you are also feeling upset about something? Treat yourself like you would your best friend. Be your own best friend. It's good to do that. And when your best friend fails at something in their life, do you condemn them in their time of need? No, of course not, so don't condemn yourself either when you fail at anything. Self-condemnation just makes matters worse, much like crying over spilled milk. Just clean the situation up as best you can and move on. You see, God knows that we fail at times during our lives, and how He looks at things and how we do sometimes are quite different. He views things from the perspective of how we as adults handled the situation that had complications. Did we try our best to work things out? Did we fail, but try to manage the situation well? How are our coping skills? Did we lose our temper and rant and rage first, or did we just heave a sigh and then calmly try to deal with the problem and fix it to the best of our abilities? Failure happens, but it's the after time that also gets noticed with the failed situation. Coping skills are one of the basic Life Themes that we deal with on the Earth plane. Up in Spirit it is much easier to cope with situations, as we have much more available to aid us, but down here it is a growth-oriented existence, and we have to deal with our issues and problems in a "workshop theme" with cause and effect. Another category is "Ways and Means Category" with Life Themes. That translates to what way we deal with our problems and if we handle them well by ourselves without too much outside help, (in other words what means we take to work through our life problems).

If you feel that you are doing nothing but failing lately, stop and get back to the basics. What do you think is thwarting you from achieving what you want? Is what you want also what you need? Want versus need should be evaluated. If you feel like life is stonewalling you at every turn, then perhaps you need to reassess. Life isn't going to be always easy and the path always smooth without rocks once in awhile, so take time out for a reality check with your life goals and desires and be practical with what you want. Realizing that you have to once in awhile make concessions is better than setting yourself up for a fall.

It's also all right to give yourself a compliment, too, even a hug if you want. We all deserve to be loved, and so often people forget to love themselves. They get busy with their lives giving others love, but don't think that it's okay to be loving of your own Self. Your Spirit needs nourishment, just like your body does. So telling yourself that "I love myself, I love me" is perfectly okay. God loves us without conditions, so why not follow God's lead with loving ourselves without conditions?

I do want to mention here that if after all you have done to balance yourself with your life and to clear depression without results, then by all means go to a doctor, and follow the doctor's orders. If you are not feeling that this doctor is helping, then it's good to get a second opinion, or even a third, but take an active role in your healing. Taking charge of the overall situation will provide you with some control, and that in turn will help you gain back your life the way you wish it to be.

If you have any specific questions you wish to ask me, please write me at hopefrombeyond@yahoo.com

Copyright © 2005 Lilly, HopeFromBeyond - All Rights Reserved