I am definitely not the only one with mental health issues out there. We’ve all been through something or probably going through right now. So, glad getting a chance here to share my experiences and talk more openly about mental health and various aspect of it, like Anxiety and Depression.
So, what basically is Mental health? There’s like so much going on in our brain and it all depends on various psychological, emotional, physical factors. I’ll try to explain in layman’s term. Mental health is well being, and proper functioning of our brain, like brain is to the body, the mind is to soul. So, the weak point of this definition is we are not bringing mind and soul into the picture. That’s a crucial link we are missing out here when it comes to proper research, and actually gaining benefits from it, we can’t afford to have those weak points.
How can you use Mind and Soul connection to deal with Anxiety and Depression?
Wellness of our mind and soul affects our mental health in various ways. We take care of all the nutritional needs of our bodies, like vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc. A proper diet chart, all check, and there we are with a nice healthy body. But what about the nourishment of our soul? Our soul needs food, will talk about the ways down there.
First, let’s get into those negative factors that affect your mental health. Depression, anxiety, overthinking, being a pessimist, and most importantly fear. FEAR, someone has put it very well, “False Assumptions Appearing Real”. I don’t know what it is with the human mind, but sometimes we focus too much on all the negatives. We overthink, a lot many questions, what if this happens to me, what am I gonna do without that person, there’s nothing positive left to focus, and much more. But let me tell you one thing, there’s no limit to imagining the worst.
Difference between imagining a bad situation and actually being in it
Imagining a bad situation, and actually being in it, there’s a LOT of difference. When we imagine something bad, all we get is fear. But when you are actually in the situation, you are automatically blessed to have the strength to deal with it. It’s like a problem and answer born at the same time. So, what’s the point of fear, it just lead to anxiety and depression. All you are doing is wasting your energy and peace of mind with some weird speculations you know nothing about. That’s why they say, to live in the present.
So please, don’t ruin your present and future at the same time because of fear, not worth it dear. Depression, anxiety, and fear are like those dementors out there, draining all the energy. And you are probably thinking there’s no way out, but that’s what’s powering them. You need to realize you are not weak, the power is always in your hands. All you need is to work on those ways.
Be more open about Anxiety and Depression issues: Say no to hesitation
Here, I wanna talk about our visit to therapists. It’s totally fine and normal to visit a therapist when you feel the need to. Open up yourself, talk it all out. You have this confidence that there’s someone who listens. They help you with the solutions, probably give you some affirmations.
Honestly, I don’t know how these affirmations work, but I’d rather prefer praying and meditating on Lord’s name. So how about if you make God your therapist. I don’t know about atheists, “need is the mother of invention”. We can’t force them to believe until they actually feel the need to. Once you start believing, showing faith, it’s a whole nother journey, and you invent your ways. I can guarantee you, as per my experiences, God is the best therapist you can ever count on. Coming to the nourishment of the soul, you definitely need God, prayer, and meditation to cure anxiety and depression.
Following are some of the ways I prefer to tackle my Mental Health
Meditation and Chanting
Find your cozy, comfortable place at home, maybe terrace or anyplace you feel like. Sit down in a comfortable posture, clear your head, and just relax. Talk it all out to God, whatever it is you are feeling, whatever bothering you, just share it all. Just like you would share this with a friend or a therapist.
You might be wondering, if he actually listens, believe me, he does, his doors are always open, all u need is to make a move. Doesn’t matter if you believe in God or not but just try this with an open heart. Try to and meditate on his name, whatever you are comfortable chanting Satnam Waheguru, Jai Shri Ram, Om, Hare Krishna, Mool Mantra, Gayatri Mantra anything from ur religion you know, you can chant. No, it’s not weird and that’s not gonna make you an uncle or aunty. It’s time to get over these stupid stereotypes and act and overcome anxiety and depression.
Meditation is not just sitting in silence and trying to focus on some point. People are really ignorant about this, for some, it helps but for some, it doesn’t work and there’s no need to focus on some point. That’s just stupid, sitting in silence ain’t gonna do u nothing if, you are not praising God’s creation, not working on this relationship or not meditating on his name.
That’s what our gurus taught us, so chanting is necessary, chanting actually makes it easier to focus and meditate. There’s science behind it, I’ll talk about it down there. After chanting, if you think u wanna just sit in silence and relax, that’ll be good, now you can do that. There are steps to everything and you need to see how it works for you.
Interact
If u wanna share something, feels free to interact with friends or family or anyone u feel like. People are very open these days, don’t be shy or fear judgment, it’s way better to let it all out
Embrace the Nature
Spend time with nature, however or wherever u feel like, just bird watching, watching sunsets, clouds, feeding those birds and animals around, going for a walk can help a lot.
Do Things that make YOU feel ALIVE
Do whatever that makes you feel happy and alive. Maybe, obsess over some artists, movies, or characters, idk that too helps.
The science behind Praying and Meditation
We know we are nothing but energy. Everything is energy and when energy travels, it travels in waves and waves travel at a certain frequency. Have you ever wondered, when we are close to nature, like mountains, forests, birds, etc, we feel more relaxed and calm? It’s because our frequency gets in resonance with the frequency of nature, the energy of nature is pure and transcendental. Similarly, meditation is getting in resonance with this universe.
In Ancient days it was easy to do that when there were fewer distractions and people were way more connected to nature. Nowadays the scenario is totally different, life is busy, everything is so materialized. So it’s difficult sometimes to just sit in silence and meditate with a lot going on in our minds. That’s why we need to realize the importance of chanting. Chanting just sets the tone and makes it easier for us to focus and meditate. This definitely cures anxiety and depression.
Very helpful Thank You!
Very beautifully written 🙂