My new friend Miragi asked me some questions about depression. She is the author of several blogs such as Stitch Witch and Read Between My Lines. I was pleasantly surprised and am more than happy to answer. I am an expert on being depressed and over time, have conquered it for the most part; although, I do occasionally fall in the abyss of misery.

Before I begin, I want to explain what depression is to me and just how debilitating it has been. I often hear people say, “Everyone gets depressed every now and then – we all have similar hardships and suffer the same feelings.”

I disagree with the above statement 100%. Yes everyone gets down occasionally and has the same heartaches, but depression is something else altogether. In my case, the death of a loved one pales in comparison to the agony I’ve suffered from depression. Imagine your family is murdered, your spouse leaves and your children are kidnapped on the same day. Amidst all that pain, when you need your friends and family the most, they laugh at you and toss you aside like you’re garbage. Imagine how sick you would feel. Imagine it 10 times worse than that. Imagine if that same feeling persisted for months or even years, twenty-four hours a day and never subsided for a single second – yet for no apparent reason. That’s how horrifyingly sick I feel when I’m depressed. Yes, for me it’s that bad or maybe even worse. Now to the questions:

  • Do you take medication at all?  If so, which one(s)?

I no longer take any medications; however, I have tried a few different ones in the past. The first anti-depressant I took was Prozac, a commonly prescribed SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). This drug basically prevents your brain from metabolizing the neurotransmitter serotonin, thus elevating levels once the drug is taken for several weeks.

After I took Prozac for four months – and it took that long to notice any major effect – I became emotionally unstable, either couldn’t sleep or couldn’t stay awake and felt like a shroud of control had been draped over my mind. If I became upset and needed to cry, I could not. I could not laugh, be happy, sad, mad or anything in between. I felt like a zombie. It became so unbearable, I quit taking it. My doctor was worried that quitting so suddenly would be detrimental, but I quickly felt normal again. I have tried a few other drugs, but none worked for me and all had similar negative effects. I decided to tackle my depression naturally and it has worked so far.

Just remember, drugs are not a cure all and most psychiatrists only prescribe them temporarily for most people in the hopes that eventually, you can be weened off of them. Your goal should be to not depend on drugs for life, and work towards normalcy through a wide range of help and techniques. Often times, the ‘cure’ is something simple, and people tend to over-complicate their problems.

  • Do you see a therapist?  If so, is it helping?  Is it hurting, is it just “there”?

Yes, I’ve had a ton of therapy from several different sources. I’ve had both horrible and brilliant therapists, and recommend to change therapists until you find one that does help and really listens. I also recommend group therapy. I give each one a fair chance and they all have their own methods and schools of thought.

I no longer see one and have become my own therapist over the years. I am deeply introspective and spiritual because of a lifetime of involvement in martial arts, yoga and Zen – but more about that in my next answer.

  • How long have you been dealing with your depression (from a diagnostic standpoint)-.ie how long did you suffer before getting an ‘official diagnosis’, and thusly, how long have you been ‘treated’ for it?

I’ve been suffering from depression as far back as I can remember. It’s not something I recently discovered and have battled it all my life. Now, everyone has a different story and multitude of reasons for their affliction. I highly recommend proper treatment, a good doctor, therapist and talking about your problems to others. Many people suffer depression and there is less stigma attached to it these days. Never feel ashamed about yourself for any reason.

My depression did not come from a traumatic event like many people who suffer PTSD or bipolar disorder. These are serious conditions and you really should get help if you have these problems. Again, as with all disorders, you eventually have to treat yourself and become your own therapist. You have to learn new coping techniques to become mentally self reliant.

I am not a psychiatrist or doctor, but I have over many years learned to treat myself and suffer depression much less than ever before. You would think someone like me who has powerful inner awareness through decades of meditation, Qi breathing, yoga and martial arts would have no problems.

I can raise and lower my body temperature at will, control blood flow to parts of my body with my mind and stay extremely calm in dangerous situations. I actually become calmer in moments of extreme danger. I got in a head on collision in a brand new truck. I was so calm during the wreck, I did not blink even when the air bad inflated and white foam sprayed in my face. I would have closed my eyes if the windshield had shattered, but it did not. I figured if I was going to die, I wanted to see it happen. The wreck seemed to be in slow motion. Afterwards, my heart rate did not increase. I was as calm before the wreck as after – even after almost being killed. That comes from boxing and getting hit in the face many times. Eventually, you are no longer gun-shy, and can watch the fist hit you without blinking – you only blink if you absolutely have to. Of course, my nose has been broken multiple times…lol.

Having said this and with all the control I have over myself, I still become depressed. Nobody is above it and it can hit anyone at any time.

The single most prevalent factor I have in controlling my depression is being aware of what I think about. I pay attention to what thoughts actively occur in my mind, 24-7-365. I was talking to a 32 year old mother who lost her baby to cancer. She endlessly mourned and had become so severely depressed I thought she maybe suicidal. Her baby died nine years ago and she was still suffering. In fact, she had so intensely fixated on that one traumatic event that it affected her body in the form of ulcers, nervousness, insomnia and so forth. She allowed that event to condition her every thought.

She told me, “I feel guilty if I don’t mourn. If I don’t mourn, I feel like I’m doing something wrong.”

She had convinced herself that it was not good to move on. To ever climb out of her hole, she must allow herself to heal and give herself permission to live happily, even though she lost her baby. I finally convinced her to get help. A few years later and tons of therapy, including group therapy, she has finally learned how to cope with such anguish. She now studies the Chinese martial art, Tai Chi, and has become a completely different person.

Now, I want to recommend a few things that can help anyone, even if they don’t suffer depression. This is incredibly helpful with people under a lot of stress. I highly recommend anyone to either study Tai Chi or Yoga. I don’t mean the Hollywood yoga you see on Oprah where everyone wears designer tights. I mean find a real yoga teacher who has a strong background in Yogi philosophy – it is the mental aspect of yoga that is so powerful. Of course all exercise is good, particularly weight lifting and or jogging, calisthenics and so forth.

If humankind ever created a cure for depression, it is Yoga and/or Tai Chi. Most all Kung-fu schools teach Tai Chi and you should look into it. I’ve always thought these types of arts are much more interesting than plain exercise and have more pronounced effects on your health. These arts can be preformed by children, women, older folks – even people that are physically disabled and cannot do normal exercise. There are many paths to the same place, but this is the path I chose.

Remember, what you think about has a tremendous impact on your body and mental well being. Before you can get a grip on your own problems, you must have control over what you think about…constantly.

*The above picture is called Mind-Artistic-Spiral from the wikipedia commons. It originated from Harun Yahya. I chose it because after years of the arts mentioned above, I learned how Qi energy flows in a spiral, as do many things in nature. Many times, negative thought can spiral out of control – so I thought it fitting to represent this article.

Share and Enjoy:
  • StumbleUpon
  • Facebook
  • TwitThis