5 Great Ways to Beat Depression

Meditation is an ancient process whereby a person learns to take command of their self-awareness and control their mental processes.  With practice the person will develop the ability to introspectively look at themselves, their environment, and their situation, and in turn ‘control’ the way they feel about it.

Most people are not particularly self-aware, and so they are not able to properly control their emotions and actions. If we are self-aware it is less likely that we will act on impulse and more likely that we will be ready and able to assess a situation properly. The self-awareness that we possess will therefore directly affect our self-control.

Meditation is the key to accessing this deep level of self-awareness. It can assist the individual greatly as it leads to the exploration into one’s identity and opens up the understanding that is needed for better control of our emotions.

Put simply, meditation will help you to discard all negative thoughts, and as a treatment for depression, it has been extremely effective. It can take a while though to reap benefits, so it is important to give it time.

Mindfulness Meditation

Probably the most popular form of meditation, it’s about being in the present moment and noticing how your thought processes work. The focus is on the breath which is kept constant, and any ‘lines of thought’ that manifest are simply accepted rather than judged. As it is natural for the mind to wander, it will occur many times during a session. When it does occur, the focus is then gently brought back to the breath.

This type of meditation teaches the subconscious to notice when we have negative thoughts, then gently move on from them rather than dwell or ruminate. It takes practice but is a very powerful and effective tool against depression.

Breathing Space

A popular technique is the "three minute breathing space" which comprises the key elements of mindfulness meditation. During the first minute, you focus on where you're sitting, the connection between your body and the chair or cushion, and the feeling of your feet on the floor.

During the second minute, you bring your awareness to your breath as you breathe deeply in and out, imagining it going into your stomach. The purpose is to allow your focus remain on one breath at a time to develop an "in the moment" awareness.

Your mind will inevitably wander, and you then need to simply acknowledge where your thoughts went and gently bring your attention back to the breath. This is done without being critical that it happened, but merely accepting that it did.

Awareness that the mind wandered as a key insight. This is because it assists you in realizing that thoughts can be seen as experiences that are independent from you.

During the third minute, you expand your awareness from the breath to encompass the rest of your body, noticing how it feels, and breathing, moment to moment.

Other forms of meditation include:

• Universal Mantra Meditation
• Relaxation Meditation
• Energy Healing Meditation
• Color Healing Meditation

All the forms of meditation covered in this chapter are explained in greater detail in our guide: ‘Meditation & Yoga for Beginners’, which is included in our Expert-Help Pack: How to Crush Depression... Completely! Professional guidance to get you back to yourself again.