We go through life daily thinking that we are coping
with all that we face, and then for some, suddenly like a car running out of
petrol we can’t seem to go on anymore.
Everything can become just too much to cope with even the smallest of
things can seem like a huge thing to take on. And where did our feelings of joyfulness and playfulness
go? Even getting out of bed can
seem like a mountain too steep and daunting to climb. Because for most of us we have moved into such a fast paced
life full of machines and technologies that we don’t see ourselves anymore and
then one day we wake up lost. Then
what do we do? Anxiety can be a natural
and normal response to any stressful situation but if we experience it for a
long time and it effects our daily life then we call this a disease, and we
need some external support.
Anxiety is a fight response and it is actually
healthy up to a point, i.e. anxiety about an interview or exam or challenging
situation can make us perform better, drawing the best out of us. But when somebody feels anxious
continually then the ‘fight’ has gone and ‘flee’ takes over often leading to
giving up – this is depression.
Fight or flee, sometimes we are not able to fight but we are not ready
to flee either and this is causing the problem.
Anxiety normally comes and goes, when it stays for a
long time this is when a person can start to withdraw from society, depression
is coming from anxiety.
So what is the cause of this anxiety? Some common causes can be –
1.
Lack of
training in childhood, not being given enough duties and responsibilities. This training should start at home at a
young age, things such as doing the washing up, cleaning, gardening, looking
after pets etc.
2.
Overworking,
handling too big a responsibility without having the correct training. This seems to be all too often the case
as we are expected to be super humans by most employers these days.
3.
Tradgedy in
life.
4.
Fear of
loosing ones job, income, position in life and fear of death.
5.
Alcaholism,
smoking and the use of drugs.
6.
Having a
lack of willpower and wisdom.
The main cause of these anxieties is looking for
happiness in all the wrong places, looking externally, outwardly instead of
looking inwardly to find the joy that is there, which is our birthright. External things and situations are not
the answer to our happiness because they are not permanent they are
fleeting. Think back to when you
were a child and you really really wanted something and no matter what you
gained that thing, where is it now?
Do you even remember? All
external matters are impermanent, the highs you get whilst intoxicated don’t
last and then actually only bring a low and create more anxiety and stress.
So how do we start to put ourselves right?
- Firstly be
around people you can gain support from, be close to family or friends,
stay close in your yoga community, don’t isolate yourself.
- Sun
Salutations – spending time everyday to move through the 12 postures of
the sun salutations can be one of the best mental tonics there is. This enables you to re-connect not
only with your body but to remember that you are part of this universe,
that the universal rhythm is within and part of you, you can shine with
the sun. This practice also
allows your mind to focus inwardly letting go of the outward experience
and concentrating on positive emotions and eradicating the negative.
- Working
with movement and breathing techniques, such as standing in tadasana –
mountain pose (standing) reaching up high with the inhale arms up over
your head and exhaling loudly whilst folding from the waist down to the
floor, repeating several times up and down with the breath and getting
faster then again slowing down.
Also alternate toe touching with legs apart, again moving with the
breath speeding up and slowing down.
- Getting
out into nature as much as possible, visit new places, spend time in
places with positive vibrations such as temples, monasteries or holy
sites.
- Take up
new hobbies such as cooking, drawing, cycling etc, find your creativity.
- Working
with yogic postures such as shoulderstand, ½ spinal twist and camel pose
can leave you feeling more in control and invigorated.
- Sitting
for meditation but using full awareness of breath on sectional breathing –
Vibhaga pranayama. This is
where you breathe into your belly, pause then continue the inhalation into
the chest, pause and finally continue with a very subtle movement of the
shoulders, then exhale fully and very slowly with full awareness.
- Sing and
chant, a favourite uplifting song can work wonders to keep in mind and
mentally repeat to yourself through the day or sing out loud if you
can. Mantras are encrusted
with special positive vibrations and are very uplifting, so sing out,
chant out loud to the highest mountain and let yourself go.
- Look at
your diet, foods with preservatives, colours, white sugars etc can be a
root cause of depression. All
the things you ingest have an effect on the mind, in fact the gross parts
of what we eat become our bodies forming body tissues, cells muscles etc,
the subtle parts of the food we eat become our thought patterns, so be
very mindful of what you are eating.
Try to eat as simply and naturally as you can.
Depression is not un-common, so many people are
struggling with it. I believe the
biggest step is to recognise that it is there and then we can start to deal
with it. So let us all stay
healthy and happy, a happy and healthy body means a happy and healthy mind, a
happy and healthy mind means a happy and healthy body. We can pray to Ganesha, the lord of all
living things to give us the strength and the wisdom that we need and to remove
all the obstacles in our path. OM
GUM GANAPATYE NAMAH - prostrations
to Lord Ganesha.
Wishing that all living entities be happy, joyful and
find their peace.
Jai Ganesha
Om shanti
Mangala / Nicky
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