Depression is one of the most alarming issues from which millions of people in the world suffer. And surprisingly, this is not a new problem at all. You might have no idea that greats like Charles Dickens, J.K Rowling, Edgar Allan Poe, Abraham Lincoln, and Vincent Van Gogh and innumerable such stalwarts suffered from depression in their lives at some point of time or other. The problem is quite prevalent in the common masses as well and has turned into a common malady today. One of the major factors which have contributed to depression is none other than stress. Stress has become a killer for us from various aspects and taking a toll on the lives of people drastically.
Identification of depression in people is quite difficult as the symptoms vary from one person to another. There are some common signs of depression that you might locate easily. While some people feel the blues, some lack of energy of doing any kind of work. Some people have emotions that are difficult to control and these lead to hampering a normal lifestyle. If the problems continue for a short period, there is nothing to worry about. However, if the issues are persisting and keep on increasing with passing time, it is best to seek professional consultation. It has been seen that counseling helps in many instances in treating the problem of depression.
Along with counseling, there is another natural ingredient that is showing to have great results for treating depression successfully. The ingredient is CBD oil. A component of cannabis, CBD has shown to have healing and therapeutic benefits for various kinds of ailments. CBD oil is the common format in which CBD is being made available. There are many companies which are manufacturing CBD oil and selling the same in the market. In this regard, Sonoma Valley CBD Oil needs special mention. Best quality ingredients are used in the making of this oil and minimal amounts of additives are used. Moreover, since this is completely natural, there are no chances of any kind of side effects taking place from the oil.
Meditation for depression – how helpful it is?
Meditation is nothing new. It has been seen that meditation was practiced for a long time in China and India for calming the mind and the body. It also proved to be a great solution for combating the issue of depression in many people. You might not know that there are different kinds of meditations, but the main purpose of all the kinds is to seek heightened awareness. And this awareness can bring excellent benefits for people suffering from anxiety and depression. It also helps in dealing with stress effectively. Meditation is not as easy as it seems to be. One has to learn to meditate as it involves managing your thoughts. In many people, the problem of depression is quite serious and they have to take anti-depressants for the same. While meditating, there is no need to stop any kind of medication whatsoever.
Different kinds of meditation techniques which help in combating depression successfully
Lots of studies and research have been done over the years on various kinds of meditation techniques and their effects on depression. Mentioned below are some such meditation techniques:
- Mindfulness meditation – When it comes to ultimate meditation, mindfulness meditation needs special mention. This is because many other kinds of meditation techniques have emanated from this particular kind of meditation. Most importantly, there is abundant scientific evidence in support of this kind of meditation. In mindfulness meditation, the person develops moment to moment awareness of the very present moment. The breathing is used as an anchor for bringing attention back to the present moment. In many studies, there is clear evidence of the fact that mindfulness meditation plays a crucial role in alleviating anxiety, depression, and stress. Many cancer patients have gained greatly from practicing this kind of meditation.
- Loving-kindness meditation – In various Buddhist texts the term ‘metta’ appears again and again, the meaning of which is loving-kindness. In this kind of meditation, the emphasis is solely on creating an attitude of kindness and love towards your self and also towards others. In many cases, it has been seen that people who practice loving-kindness meditation suffer from less depression. More importantly, they are highly compassionate, have few negative thoughts and emotions and always have a positive outlook towards life and everything. Loving-kindness meditation also helps in overcoming self-criticism, which is a factor for many underlying mental health disorders. Compassion meditation can be coupled with this kind of meditation and this focuses on unconditional compassion. People practicing this have fewer negative feelings and also a better mood overall.
- Yoga – Many people have the notion that yoga and meditation are the same things. Well, yoga is an integral part of meditation. The best thing about yoga is that it combines breathing techniques and meditation with various physical postures. Studies have shown that yoga has proved to be very effective for dealing with anxiety and depression and stress. Special mention needs to be made of Kundalini yoga and this includes chanting. The obsessive compulsive disorder can be handled to a great extent with this yoga. If you want to get rid of anger, manage fear or eliminate negative thoughts, this yoga is the best thing you can practice. When yoga is done in combination with CBT, it helps in easing depression, anxiety, and panic while improving quality of life and sleeps in people suffering from an anxiety disorder.
- Walking meditation – We all know that walking is an excellent exercise for your mind and your body. But did you know that walking meditation can take you to a different dimension altogether? It has been seen that when Buddhist meditation is combined with aerobic walking thrice a week for 3 months, it helps in reducing depression along with enhancing flexibility in people. You can also meditate after or before walking and this also helps in lowering anxiety. Along with focusing on mind, meditation is also about relaxing the mind. Apart from walking, meditation can also be done along with many other kinds of exercises.
- Transcendental meditation – Also known as TM popularly, transcendental meditation has gained immense popularity all across the globe. For maintaining your attention, breathing patterns are not required in this kind of meditation. Rather there is the use of some kind of personal mantra or some specific sound as an anchor. The sound is mainly of one-two syllables. This kind of meditation seems to be very helpful for people who are in high-stress-jobs. This kind of meditation helped in improving depression, stress, and burnout. Most importantly, the effects of such meditation last for almost 4 months.
- Chanting – Chanting is one of the most primitive meditation techniques used for ages. Along with chanting, many meditation traditions are seen using periodic chimes of a gong as a means of focusing the mind. With chanting, it is possible to come to a meditative state and it becomes easier to focus. In various studies, it was found that with yoga and chanting, various parts of the brain were activated which are integrally involved with emotional control and mood regulation. Hymn chanting is very popular in this regard. Sometimes, mono-dual syllabic words are also chanted.
- Visualization – Anything that is visual has more impact on the mind. Visualization is based on this theory only. It has been seen that many people focus on pleasant images than on negative ones for restoring peace of mind and calmness. Guided imagery meditation or visualization is how this is done. There are two ways in which this meditation is done. It can either be guided by another person or the session of meditation can be self-guided. Imagining happy endings in place of negative memories is known as re-scripting and this has shown to have an immensely positive impact on the mind of people. Self-esteem and overall quality of life of a person can be improved to a great extent with this meditation.
Changing your way of thinking
If you thought that meditation is for blocking negative thoughts or pushing stress out of your life, you are slightly mistaken. The main aim of meditation is to notice and focus on the feelings and thoughts and understand that these feelings and thoughts don’t need your action. Results from meditation take time to come. But once you acquire the skill, you will be a changed person forever, with no stress and depression.