How can depression lead to growth? To turn depression into a developmental tool, you need to have some serious dialogue between YOU and your depressed mental state (Post 1.6) over and over again. The depressed mental state can be transformed constructively into a positive state of mind. Remember that anything negative happening to you is a sign for personal corrective action (PCA).
Acknowledge first, “I am depressed” and I have this “depressed mental state”. Be aware that I said: “I acknowledge” that the state I’m in is depressed. That brings us to the conclusion that there is an “I” and a “state” – two things:
1. I.
2. Depressed Mental State.
First, I say to myself: “I am patient”. Physically, absolutely nothing changes, but psychologically it does. Your physique is the expression of your psyche – your body doesn’t know what depression means and neither do your molecular cells. What they know is the quality of energy directly applied to them. In other words, the moment you apply the breathing we talked about, each cell in your body receives a positive, calming, organic energy. It is the negative information you have downloaded into your brain, which has become depressed memory, and your ego is constantly recalling it from a state of helplessness, confirming that this is still true.
YOU are the source of patience and your mental state is in a depression confirmed by your egocentric persona. In other words, your mental state is capturing YOU in two cases:
Now, let’s start to work with the tool that leaves depression as a memory in the past, not something you recall, because we’ll be occupied with some valuable work: the third exercise.
Even if there’s still a memory of being depressed in the past, you are not in a depressed mental state NOW. It’s your past memories, useless information of already-dead-moments. In this breathing exercise you have the opportunity and the power to accept or decline those thoughts that arise in your mind. Memory exists only to serve you and not to disturb you. If the thought is destructive, you don’t need to pay attention to it; only nourish and embrace constructive thoughts that help you gain insight.
Developing patience: dwell in the moment, breathe and observe. Patience is the prerequisite for any other mental skill. Knowing that it takes time for things to get done – especially things of a complex nature, like dealing with depression − patience is fundamental in the process of achievement. Repeat the exercise now and observe the capacity of your patience. This rhythmical breathing will:
These values are intrinsic (YOU) – your higher intelligence. YOU harmonize the nervous system, and as a result the glandular system balances hormone production. No disturbing emotions can arise in this state.
Practice your breathing and observe your impatience once it arises. Being able to do this is a sign of your inner awareness. Initially, you can have a hard time enjoying this exercise, but the longer you persist, the greater becomes your reservoir of patience. If you find this too difficult to do it, even for a minute, simply come out of the practice and repeat it again – this is also a proven technique that works.
By repeating this, you’ll be able to see that patience will start to attract your attention. YOU went through the process of achieving stillness, silence and peacefulness within you and you have reached all that by investing patience. Now you can see how patience radiates out of YOU. It might be a small capacity of patience, but this is an important sign of your capability and your energy – a moment you cannot ignore.
Be conscious of it – all the work you have done so far was to realize this achievement. Celebrate it with a self-talk of confidence. YOU have done something worthwhile!
It is of utmost importance to comprehend that you have passed the initial phase of difficulty. Feel your breakthrough! Feel the state of stillness and calmness while breathing. Put your whole attention on engraving it, storing it in every cell of your body. Say it aloud: “This is my truth! This is my energy! I am this energy! Say it inwardly and outwardly. Grow bigger, stronger and never look back.
This is not entertainment. This is spiritual, mental and physical development!
Go back to your breathing. Observe your patience. It is deep, subtle and creates further:
Can you see this triangle of goodness: stillness, peacefulness and patience? Here you can create constructive or destructive thoughts. “YOU” choose to create constructive thoughts as you are an intelligent masterpiece. Keep your attention on your breathing pattern – inhaling for four seconds and exhaling for six seconds. Apply a physical movement, such as rotating your arms very gently, so as to create physical strength and endurance. Adjust the speed of your movement as you see fit. You don’t want to consume your existent energy, but add to it.
Now, there is stability of mind. The stable mind is able to observe and learn the management of negative and positive thoughts or feelings. But we aren’t there yet! Before we analyze thoughts and feelings, let me tell you how profound this golden skill really is. Patience is so deeply connected to our higher intelligence, and it is through patience, and attention, that we connect more profoundly with it.
When we are able to observe within, repeating the process over and over again, we achieve the capability of attentional performance, which enables us to tap into our higher intelligence and start recognizing the quality of our thoughts and beliefs.
It takes a great deal of commitment to say: I want to understand what’s going on inside my head. I want to master my thoughts, so I am not controlled by them. Awakening your intelligent patience is fundamental. This is the skill you now possess.
Patience is one of the main pillars in the process of achievement. No wisdom or great success can be acquired unless time and work − patience and energy − are invested. One works and waits patiently for the fruition to happen. Like the energy of boiling water – the water is heating and the temperature rising in order to process the cooking. Patience works the same way, taking all the challenges and burdens from the outside while managing the necessary mental discipline. Patience, together with intuitive intelligence can manage all the other mental skills.
Hence, we should consider ourselves lucky in our situation of depression, because it gives us the reason, the urge, to acquire one of the finest and greatest mental skills a man can possess. As they say, everything happens for a reason!
Depression is classified as a mental disease only when you allow it to swallow you up. Depression is a signal of negligence of inner knowledge and a “Call-for-action” – a possibility for awakening intelligence. This mental state has to be approached as a challenge and not as a disease. Life has numerous ways of kicking us down and depression is one of those. It takes the virtue of courage to take on the challenge.
Remember, you don’t need to suffer because of negative memories, but instead become more creative and grow smarter, stronger and happier. We often invest so much time thinking about negative things that could happen as a cause of depression, but less time on how to deal with it. In this case “thinking only” is not helpful. Only Doing and Breathing is. The three tools mentioned in post 1.5. are the three life disciplines that can transform your depression.
These natural life processes happen simultaneously at once – bringing us to the point of thinking that we are depressed and believing that there is no way out. So enough of that kind of thinking. Instead: Breathe!