DEPRESSION: MIND & ACTION- A Doorway Opens Through Understanding

By Nougye Mutungi Mukoma

I welcome you to a very important topic, especially in today’s world….

DEPRESSION & THE PRESENT MOMENT

Through my observations of the world and the people around me, I have often felt that people get depressed due to a sense of disconnect and a lack of self-expression.  I have also encountered personal experiences and understanding of various conditions which may bring about this mental and physiological emotion we call depression.

Depression can be debilitating and overwhelm the body and mind. Our current world experiences and COVID-19 have left long-lasting effects casting their shadows upon our very lives. I find that we truly aren’t beings of separate lives, but rather, a quilted tapestry of unique squares falsely believing to be separate from the whole. Hence, the suffering of one is inevitably the suffering of the other, felt within our very hearts and minds. 

Depression can be experienced through very serious and unresolved, untreated traumas, through loss, life transitions, divorces, infidelities, racial disparities,  inequalities, financial states, and many other unforeseeable life circumstances and conditions. 

Depression may also occur due to physiological conditions, dis-ease, nutritional factors, or ill effects of medications for as long as we have our physical bodies. Our physical bodies are necessary for movement within the material world. And so, we will need to adequately care for our bodies in all states and stages of depression. We are also responsible, not just according to our healthcare providers’ recommendations and treatments, but also by our deliberate care.

I highly recommend the works of talk therapy as well as psychiatry, along with the application of self-care. I also encourage introspection care, which I call the art of self-reflection, in mind, body, and spirit. Utilize your personal spiritual practices. Great resources are available on YouTube for meditation, and breathing exercises as well.

 Be mindful and careful of the temptation to lean towards substances such as alcohol and drugs during these times. Due to the natural chemicals within the brain and body, the use of alcohol and or drugs may render the feeling of calm and peace, but that is short-lived. In actuality, this may cause irreversible addictions leaving you worse off, and brutalize the body’s organs. Personal, and legal consequences are usually not too far behind once in this abyss. Remember, nature certainly has laws and principles, do your best to follow them. 

Depression Cont…..

My continued focus on depression is centered upon regrets, self-doubts, and uncontrolled anxiety due to external factors like self-esteem, self-worth, feeling stuck, and lack of purposeful movement. Other forms of depression, would not be adequately explained and given its proper attention within this format. Again, I do encourage seeking the appropriate care necessary for any feelings of hopelessness, or helplessness, and should have the immediate attention of your provider. Don’t suffer alone seek help.

How The Mind Functions

If you are attentive, you will realize that the brain or mind has a particular and peculiar movement. This is a movement of thinking about the past and projecting into the future. I am sure you might have thought about this at some point in your life. In fact, African Spirituality, many spiritual texts and gurus have talked about this for thousands of years.

The brain has an incredible ability to hold memories of the past. These memories can be called upon to help us in the present moment. For instance, if you learned how to play a musical instrument in the past, you can use it in the present to play it at a family gathering. 

However, it is often seen that people are often stuck in their past. They keep replaying painful and traumatic memories over and over again in their minds. This keeps them in a loop and doesn’t allow them to move forward. And yes, the practice of the present moment is easier said than done, it takes a lot of deliberate and intentional practice. I can personally relate to the hardships of this practice. But don’t give up, remember that repetition is key.

Similarly, the brain also has a fantastic ability to imagine or visualize the future. This is literally how we set goals or make plans to achieve our dreams. However, once again, this ability is misused by people, either knowingly or unknowingly.

You can see that people remain worried about what may happen in the future in regard to their health, relationships, careers, finances, and so on. They become anxious about any challenges that might crop up in their path.

In fact, people often use the memories of the past and project them into the future. Meaning that if something bad happened in their past, they are fearful that the same will happen again in the future. This can be a limiting thought process in many ways and can have a terrible impact on one’s self-esteem and self-worth. It can also keep people feeling like they are stuck in life.

Remaining Present - A Solution

The present moment is very fleeting. But it remains the only place where you can make a difference as to what is happening in your current life situations. It is the only way you can escape the clutches of the past or the worries of the future. Why do you think so many spiritual practitioners are solely focused on anchoring their attention to the present moment?

I have come to understand this concept and am constantly aiming to apply it effectively with habitual use. You need to understand that the present, past, and future are all happening simultaneously within the present moment. And this is why you must make decisions within your day or else you will continue to have the same results, over and over again.

What you don’t decide remains, or someone else will impose their will upon your being. So, start today to be mindful and decisive about your day and the direction you choose to take in life. Depression requires decisive action. Also, be mindful of the thoughts you entertain and the company you keep. See my blog for the power of thought. 

In this journey, knowledge will perhaps be your biggest ally. However, knowledge does not work without repetition and without action. And it works best if you learn one, teach one. In the teaching of something to someone else, you become even better at it. As I am currently doing. 

So, make it a conscious effort to remain in the present being aware of the need for action and encourage others to do it as well. Meditation, prayer with silence, yoga, exercise, and nutrition will all play crucial roles during this process, see my blog on nutrition. Together, this will help you live a full-fledged life of purpose that you will be content with during your productive years.

Please share this positive message. Gratitude as always for your reading, please share, subscribe, and check out my other posts. Your support is appreciated. Thank you!

Blessings,

Nougye