There is an illness all around me in modern society that seems to be spreading like the Black Plague once did in Europe so long ago. It’s called depression, have you heard of it? Has it affected you? The more I look, the more I see it in so many people in my life, including myself. Depression sucks. It’s a real drag, and I mean real drag. It is different from the feelings of unhappiness that all humans have to deal with in their lives. It is being in a solitary prison where you are the only one who can see the walls; you are the jailor, the guard, and the prisoner all rolled into one. Sounds like fun huh? Well, we better become more aware of it because there are certain aspects of contemporary life that are causing more and more souls to lock themselves up, some believing that they have no hope of ever finding the key out.
If you look up depression on the Internet through a Google search query you will find a lot of different ways and means to manage or treat the problem. There are Eastern and Western approaches, psychological and spiritual; today there are 15,400,000 links about the subject. It seems to be on everybody’s mind and yet we don’t give it the general social awareness that we do for other illnesses. This is probably because there are so many stigmas around faults with the human mind. Broken bones and cancer we can understand or at least think we do; but we touch on a soft spot when we find a problem with that infinitely complex, helpful, magical device we call the brain.
Recently I went to a public talk by a world famous Psychologist named Dorothy Rowe who was selling her new book, ‘Depression: The way out of your prison”. I’m not going to tell you that she has all the answers, but I did like the different approach that she took to the illness. She’s not against modern medication, but she feels that it can be only part of the solution. Of course there are types of intense clinical depression that need certain chemicals to rebalance the brain to a ‘normal’ working order, but for all depression she feels that the focus could be shifted from a management to a prevention paradigm.
Dr Rowe focuses on the assertion that depression comes when one’s structure of interpreting the world around you has been affected by some deeply negative occurrences (usually in one’s youth). Her theory suggests that if a certain event happens to one hundred people, they will all probably interpret the experience in an individual, different way; the perceived ‘reality’ having been a resulting construct from one’s life experiences. For example: Let’s say you get fired from your job. Just about everyone is going to feel a general unhappiness and grieve over the subsequent period. However, many people have built positive, optimistic ways of seeing life and will just go on and feel as though the layoff was another necessary step or a momentary setback on the way to their life’s goals and dreams. “Whatever doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.” is a common sentiment from this type of personality.
However, a person who is prone to perceiving the world around them as threatening and dangerous (maybe their parents never gave them positive affirmations as a child, or even put them down emotionally) may believe that the loss of this job is a relative ‘destruction’ of their world, their safety, their confidence. This is where the illness of depression can dig its sharp teeth in. This is a pretty mellow analogy; in reality some people have gone through hellish childhoods filled with abuse, neglect and addiction. When this type of person then has to deal with the loss of a loved one or relationship break-up, you can imagine that they would be much more prone to perceiving the experience as deeply negative. Dr. Rowe believes that these constructed structures of perceiving what happens to you can be altered, thus giving rise to a new way of seeing reality. The main idea is based around the idea that we must learn to change the ways in which we see ourselves.
If we can learn to accept ourselves with all our faults and imperfections, and realize that if we are doing our best to be a loving and giving person everyday, then we can see ourselves as being worthy, and that all is well. Then if someone else treats us badly, ignores us, or says we aren’t good enough, we can know and acknowledge that they are the person with the problem and that we don’t necessarily need their affirmation or acceptance. We can then wait for positive people to come into our lives, as like attracts like. Soon enough we will find that there is a group of people that will stand by our side and support us when things get bad because we do the same for ourselves and for them.
One of the most powerful insights I had from this experience was the sheer number of people in the room for Dr. Rowe’s speech. Each and every one had been or known someone close who had been depressed at one time in their life, thinking that they were completely alone in the world. When you see a big group of people together whom have all felt alone, you might just see into the true paradox of reality? If everyone who got depressed realized that it is a common occurrence, and connected to others in similar cases, it definitely could be a step towards healing. Could the Internet take a leading role in this process?
Jesse S. Somer
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer has been locked in a prison of his own mind. The way out was within.
Tags: depression, experience, faults, health, internet, interpret, life, mental, mind, sadnessdepression, experience, faults, health, internet, interpret, life, mental, mind, sadnessShare This
Where there is yang there is yin and where there is yin
there is yang. Neither exists without each other. Balance
between both sustains harmony or whole and imbalance
between both creates to much of either. This is aspect of
duality. We are surrounded and internalised by this
duality. If we look at our own bodies and start from the
top then we know that our brain is split into right and
left brain which controls different way of thinking. There
is also two eyes two openings in the heart, two lungs, the
liver splits in two, there are two kidneys etc. This
duality in the body applies to the yin or the solid organs
in the body. The yin organs in the body hold and the yang
organs excrete, more about this later.
Looking at the outside world we can see the yin and yang in
the aspect of day and night, hot and cold, light and dark,
sun and moon, left and right, wet and dry, heavy and light,
below and above, contraction and expansion, slow and rapid,
descending and rising, water and fire, solid and gaseous,
growth and death, passive and aggressive, heaven and earth
and many other possibilities. The play between all these
qualities create result or action and reaction and
consequence. The more one aspect dominates the other, the
stronger is the reaction in the environment which it
influences. For example if there is too much heat and sun
like in desert there is no growth. If it is too cold and
little sun like in the arctic there is no growth. If there
is equal amount of day and night like it is at the equator,
there is easy growth.
The further the yin and yang is from each other, the more
conflict it can be. This is very true in relation to our
relationship with other people. If we take for example right
wing and left wing politics. There was a wide gap between
these two ideology. It created one of the greatest conflict
ever we have seen in this world. It almost brought us on the
brink of destruction. But from that conflict there was
creation of even greater aspect into our mass consciousness
and that was the demand of peace and brotherhood. There has
never been so many organisations and individuals fighting
for human mankind to bring awareness of non-conflict or
tolerance towards difference of being and demand of peace.
This is still going on and even today the need is great
since we are seeing great conflict between two ideology and
cultures again in a different way.
So what does all this politics got to do with health. Well,
what is above is below and what is outside is inside. The
laws of the universe are everywhere the same. In fact the
Chinese philosophy talks about the universe being reflected
in our bodies. This is not only in Chinese philosophy but in
others philosophies as well. So in our bodies there is
conflict between yin and yang and the further the yin and
yang splits apart the more serious consequence there is. If
there is to much yang there is too much heat if there is too
much yin there is too much cold.
Good example of conflict between yin and yang might be
manic depression or bipolar syndrome. This mental disease
can be described as swinging between the extremes of
over joy and depression. This creates great suffering for the
person involved. Both ends have the potential to be
destructive and the person fights in between against one
and the other. In our everyday life we are constantly
making decisions between so called right and wrong behaviour
or action. This can create stress in our life’s and constant
indecision. This is an example of conflict and it can be
trivial or very serious. Who doesn’t know the feeling of
the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other
shoulder, of course metaphorically speaking.
It is always the middle path that is the most generous,
but so hard to stay on it. Understanding and trusting
that understanding is our key. Intuition is the fluid
which brings us back to the balance.
Be Well
I am dedicated to bringing solutions for physical, mental an spiritual health through the internet and by other means. For more information visit my site:
http://globalmindcare.com
You can also join my newsletter at:
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Tags: bipolar, chinese meidicine, conflict, depression, mental disease, stress, yin andyangbipolar, chinese meidicine, conflict, depression, mental disease, stress, yin andyangShare This
Many adults with ADD have a hard time slowing down their brains. Thoughts often come at whirlwind speed, and it can be hard to concentrate on the tasks at hand when so many other thoughts are floating around in the brain. I call this “mental clutter.”
Often times, mental clutter is made up of worries and bad feelings. (Very few people get overwhelmed by the amount of positive thoughts in their heads!) Regrets of the past and worries about the future can easily overshadow the present moment. Self-doubt can also take up a lot of space in the mind. When an excess of these types of thoughts take over in the brain, it can be stressful, upsetting, and sometimes even paralyzing.
The best way to clear this mental clutter is to process the thoughts, rather than letting them swim around in your brain. Doing so will allow you to focus on the present moment, and feel more calm and centered.
The following 3 methods have proven very helpful in clearing mental clutter.
1. Write
A great way to clear mental clutter is to transfer the thoughts from your brain onto paper. This can be in the form of a to-do list, an email to a supportive person in your life, or a journal entry. When the thoughts are recorded, there is no need for your brain to hold on to them.
Additionally, if you feel weighed down by a situation (like an argument with a family member) writing about it can help you process your feelings. You can get a better grip on the events, how you feel, and what you might have done differently. A page or two might be all it takes.
2. Talk
Many people with ADD are “verbal processors.” This means that we often work through thoughts and feelings by talking them out. It helps to have an objective person to talk to, who can mirror your thoughts and talk them out with you. However, the very act of talking is often what does the trick, so having someone to talk to isn’t always necessary. Many people find that talking into a tape recorder suits their needs. Others talk to plants or animals. (I talk to my dog so much that I’m surprised she doesn’t talk back by now!)
3. Move
Some ADDers can clear mental clutter by moving. Something as simple as a 10-minute walk can give the brain a needed jolt. Others may find that they feel free of extraneous thoughts after a visit to the gym. The time alone combined with the physical activity proves to be a successful formula for some ADDers to work through their mental clutter.
It’s best to experiment with the different methods and see which work best for you in the different areas of your life. The important thing to know is that with a little time-out, mental clutter can be cleared!
About The Author
(c) Copyright 2004
Jennifer Koretsky is an ADD Management Coach who helps adults learn how to manage their ADD and move forward in life. She offers individual and group coaching, workshops, and skill-building programs. Her work has been featured in various media, including The New York Times Magazine. Subscribe to Jennifer’s free email newsletter, The ADD Management Guide, by visiting http://www.ADDmanagement.com/e-newsletter.htm.
addmanagement@addmanagement.com
Tags: add, adhd, attention deficit, disorders, health, mental clutter, mental disorderadd, adhd, attention deficit, disorders, health, mental clutter, mental disorderShare This