Accepting Depression?

[ZX_man]

Hey guys.

Is surrender a valid method of dealing with depression? Will simple acceptance of the fact that I am depressed accelerate the process? Will it release some sort of depressed energy or something?

Thanks.

Edited June 13, 2017 by ZX_man

[ajasatya]

@ZX_man yes. close your eyes, breath slowly and surrender to what is.

true healing usually hurts and requires courage. are you ready to feel pain?

[Capethaz]

@ZX_man Realize that depression is a choice. Is 100% self-created.

[Guest Annetta]

True, depression can often be caused by a chemical imbalance.  Sometimes it can be caused by environmental factors, however it rests on a spectrum.  Those who have severe chemical imbalances can suffer psychotic episodes and even catatonia, these require medications.  Psychotic depression, bipolar and schizophrenia are in the same league regarding debilitation, with schizophrenia being the most severe, depending on the sub-type - disorganized and catatonic schizophrenia ranking as the most debilitating subsets.  

[egoeimai]

Acknowledging it is the first step. But I don't know if it's the way to solve it. It's required though. It's the first step realizing it. Then the diffocult part is to go out and live your life happy. Which is the cure. But to do that ,is the challenge. Biggest trap is playing the victim. If you're true to yourself you'll be free of it.

[Principium Nexus]

Accept what is and strive to live a balanced and happy life. Only when you can forgive yourself there will be room to grow.

[Salaam]

Be careful and make sure your getting advice from people who have actually dealt with depression and aren't spouting some spiritual bandwagon nonsense of blindly accepting and surrendering to everything.

I come from a family with a genetic predisposition for depression and had it very bad for a long while, but I've since outgrown it and haven't felt depression in years.

I did it without drugs and therapy by NOT accepting and surrendering to the comfort depression tries to hustle you with.

I saw depression as a thing inside me that I could face and disarm, piece by piece, regaining myself and my natural, balanced palette of feelings and motivations.

Like an opponent in a boxing ring, I watched how it moved and learned it's patterns and combos it used to keep me in place. How it would hit me with comfort, and then follow-up with despair.

The comfort of surrender, the comfort of isolation, the comfort of dwelling in the thought process of "nothing matters", or "what's the point", the comfort of immobility and doing nothing while feeling this negativity and painful pit of emptiness in the pit of my stomach...

I chose tension and positive stress, rather then comfort, which derailed the draining in pressure that coincides with a draining in motivation, that paves the way for depression to encroach and internalize deeper within us. If it felt harder to go outside, then stay alone, I went out and spent time with people who energized me. If I felt like nothing mattered, I invested myself and made it matter by the giving of my effort. I chose the harder, more constructive choice, over and over again that allowed me to build the capacities I needed to directly counter depression and change me as a person. 

Now, I don't even have the trains of thought anymore that lead to and bind with the emotional cascades of depression. I'm too strong, too passionate and motivated, too energized and capable to be beat by it anymore. And I say that as a person who deals with even more challenging and stressful things now, then I ever did before.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need more details please let me know.

[Bob84]

On 6/13/2017 at 10:37 PM, ZX_man said:

Hey guys.

Is surrender a valid method of dealing with depression? Will simple acceptance of the fact that I am depressed accelerate the process? Will it release some sort of depressed energy or something?

Thanks.

A very harsh almost unaceptable truth is that your depression is self inflicted and you enjoy the suffering.

Are you willing to meditate on that 

We all enjoy suffering. Thats why we do it. This probably goes way to deep but true none the less. In short its part of the experiance we create for ourselfs. However the important thing is that its optional. We can stop suffering simply by being aware of the truth.

[ZX_man]

@Salaam

Thanks for the lengthy response.

The depression I experience is pretty minor relatively speaking. I would say its more of a spiritually-induced depression where I'm starting to see that there is nowhere to go in life besides there here and now. It doesn't impact my work or school life and I still enjoy things in my free time. It comes on sometimes (usually daily, and usually paired with slight anxiety) so I'm wondering if surrendering to it and feeling it fully is the right strategy.

[heisenburger]

@ZX_man yes! If you're feeling depressed anyway right now why not surrender to it. If you've been resisting it already you'll notice it hasn't changed so just ask could I let it be here? Notice how no matter how much you resist it and want it gone it still stays, so if it's gonna be here anyway you can at least give yourself permission to feel t right? Even if you just allow it for 30 seconds that can go a very long way in disolving the emotion.

 

 

Also when surrending make sure to surrender to everything. If you surrender and I feeling disappears normally there will r another feeling that come so up, if you surrender and think it isn't gone yet justness surrender to that, surrender to the wanting it fixed, just let yourself want to fix it think 'it's ok to wanting to change it I'll let myself want to change it a day much as I do' if you than think maybe this isn't working just surrender to that as well, just keep surrendering to the feelings and you can't lose. If your mind outsmarts you and makes you resist your feelings which is what's keepi you stuck, just surrender to your mind tricking you its impossible for you to do this wrong

 

 

Edited June 16, 2017 by heisenburger

[Salaam]

10 hours ago, ZX_man said:

@Salaam

Thanks for the lengthy response.

The depression I experience is pretty minor relatively speaking. I would say its more of a spiritually-induced depression where I'm starting to see that there is nowhere to go in life besides there here and now. It doesn't impact my work or school life and I still enjoy things in my free time. It comes on sometimes (usually daily, and usually paired with slight anxiety) so I'm wondering if surrendering to it and feeling it fully is the right strategy.

Sure man and good luck, I hope you resolve it in the way that you wish

Personally, I don't see feeling it fully as surrendering to it. Or, to put it another way, I don't feel it fully with those submissive connotations. Instead I see feeling it fully as facing it and communicating with the energy or experience. If it's something I want to internalize, I trust it, I don't surrender to it. For things I don't want to internalize and have as a deeper part of me, I feel and observe it, without getting enmeshed in it. Figuring out how to counterbalance it's movements,  and adapt and change so my chemistry pulls healthier patterns of energy to my reality.

Certain things defeat a person by getting enmeshed with them. They drain you and rob you off the capacity to fight them, from within the space. It's like Sun Tzu's the art of war. Victory is more likely to go to the man who chooses his battleground.

Fighting, resistance, and rejection are as much a part of life as communication, acceptance, and trust. Life is both sides and only the sheltered and naive think life can be changed without both.