‘I am depressed.’ We hear this from people around us.

What is depression?

Depression is a debilitating state of persistent sadness which includes being demotivated, lethargic. There is a lack of interest in practically everything. We live with sorrow, worry, anxiety and prefer to be alone, in isolation. Depression can be incapacitating and if not checked can lead to suicidal tendencies, even suicide itself. It is natural that most of us experience sadness from time to time. But persistent sadness that begins to affect our life must be looked into and treated.

Why does depression happen, what causes such a state? Events in life can trigger sadness which can lead to depression. Tragic events like losing a person, accidents, breakups in a relationship, financial or health problems, loneliness can fill us with sadness. Illnesses, stress, physical disabilities or medication are also a cause of depression.

What is the solution to depression?

Support from family and friends, of course is critical. Patience, encouragement, love are needed in helping one who is depressed. Exercises, adequate rest and sleep also benefit those who are depressed. Faith, belief in God can also see us through the toughest of times. Medication is another way the medical fraternity treats depression. But medicines, inevitably have side effects.

What is important is that we address what causes depression— the mind. The mind makes us miserable, stressed and anxious. It produces thought after thought after thought, creating agitation. This onslaught of thoughts, this aggression by the mind is why we get overwhelmed in the first place.

Therefore, it becomes important to control the mind. The mind, a thought factory, produces 50 thoughts a minute. This can add to 50,000 thoughts a day. Sometimes, the mind goes back to the regrets of the past and sometimes to the worries of the future. It swings from one thought to another just like a monkey jumps from branch to branch. We have to stop this monkey-business of the mind, this bombardment of thoughts. We have to bring down the MTR, the Mental Thought Rate from 50 thoughts a minute to one thought a minute. Meditation, which is a common spiritual practice, is known to help those in depression. Meditation stills the mind. It makes it silent. This quietens the mind. To do this, we have to observe the mind. We have to watch it, catch it and latch it. When a thought comes, we must watch that thought, just like we watch fish swim in the ocean, so that we become the witness, the observer. We have to tame the monkey mind and make it a monk. We have to stop it from wandering. Every time it wonders and wanders , we have to bring it back. If we look at the word ‘MONKEY’ carefully, we will see that it has EY at the end. What is this EY? The EY is the tail that is Ever-Yelling and Ever-Yearning. We have to cut it. If we cut the EY from the MONKEY, it becomes a MONK. We have to make the MONKEY a MONK. Once the mind becomes quiet, we become calm. We become peaceful. Peace is the foundation of happiness. When we are in a state of thoughtlessness, consciousness, our intellect shines. The intellect guides us to make the correct choices and decisions which also enables a person who is depressed to channel his life. In this state, we are happy. Meditation, in fact, should be practiced for good mental health and to prevent depression. Yoga can also help but Yoga is not what the world understands it to be —- asanas and pranayama. True Yoga means to be in union with God, to be ever connected with God through Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Dhyana Yoga, Gyana Yoga and Prema Yoga. If we are ever-connected with the supreme consciousness, we can never be miserable.

The ultimate solution to depression is Enlightenment. Those who are enlightened with the truth, with self realization, God realization transcend all suffering and misery. They realize that they are not the body that suffers, nor the mind that makes us miserable nor the ego that creates anguish. They realize — we are the Soul, a Spark Of Unique Life, a part of the Divine, the Supreme Immortal Power we call God. They realize that the world is just a show, that we are actors who come and go. Whatever is happening is the unfolding of our Karma. We should accept and surrender to the Divine will. In fact, we should rejoice when some suffering comes our way because some of our negative Karma is being negated. If we take the spiritual path, if we realize the truth, we will always be peaceful and happy.

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