Five Ways out of Depression.
Elephant Reference Manual: 5 Surefire Ways out of Everyday Depression.
I have experience with depression. So do you. We all do. It’s human.
It’s been a part of the human condition for all time—which is good, because folks like the Buddha and Jesus and every great realized human being ever has gone through it, and found her or his way out of it. (I’m not talking about clinical depression, here).
5 Obvious, Quick, Simple, Easy Ways out of Depression (That we Fail to Think of When We’re Depressed).
1. Anything electronic—unplug it. Video games, instagram, surfing the web—anything too focus-oriented, repetitive, and mildly pleasurable keeps us anchored to our mindless churning beneath the waves.
2. Get outside. Light, fresh air—is the hope, the outlet, the gap, the pleasure that comes with tearing open our cocoon.
3. Touch in with a living sentient being’s heart. See someone. Hug a dog. Talk with community—what’s getting us down now, told as a story, will get us out of what’s getting us down, now. And it usually makes for a good story, too, if only because it’s real.
4. Music. Dance. Blues. Hard rock. Depends on your mood. Something we have to dance a little to. Move.
5. Most importantly: we can avoid the things we think will give us pleasure but know, from experience, will not—sex, porn, picking zits, video games, food we’re not hungry for, ice cream, watching too much TV, whatever it is—go the other direction and…
Breathe.
Remember to breathe. It’s that simple. We remember gratitude, the gift of reclaimed perspective. We remember to eat real food, hug like we mean it, drink good tea or coffee, comb our hair, exercise—the basics. The basics that, when we’re lost in the cool fog of our depression, seem out of reach.
Open that heart, clear that mind. We are not a machine—we are a poem.
~
Irrelephant back story (feel free to skip): Depression seems to come from somewhere. But, really, it comes from our inability not to roll with the waves, not the waves themselves.
Today’s waves: elephantjournal.com was down. The experience of having one’s site down is something unfamiliar for most of us who deal in physical things. It’s a sudden experience of a modest, limited, but cold and toxic death.
The gains of a month, evaporating in hours. My friend and webby Colin saved us, heroically sacrificing most of his Friday night out at a Holiday Party to get our site back up (he’s in the UK, eight-or-so hours ahead).
I’m the founder of elephant. Having your site down is like being out of business, like having your product recalled, like having your house burn down—only not nearly so permanent. I know, rationally, it’ll come back. The rational side of me asked for help and asked you, our readers to find us on tumblr and pinterest and twitter and facebook…but still, our reader count—the way we know we’re one of the bigger web sites in the US, bigger than your favorite personal blog by a factor of 10 or 100 or 1000 or 10,000—was imploding by the minute. Folks from all over the world were coming to our site to find…nothing. And, leave.
So the rational side of me did what I could—emails, tweets, reaching out, phoning our service provider twice, text, keeping the ball rolling and folks connecting. The irrational side of me, however, just committed seppeku again and again. At hour four, I tried to take a bath and read Raise the Bar, a re-inspiring book by one of the few non-sell outs in my world. But the water came out too cool.
So, shivering, 230, the day nearly gone, I biked to the climbing gym, feeling dead inside, weak, tired, sad, defeated, dark. Depression.
Incorrect source, offensive, or found a typo? Or do you want to write for Elephant?
You had it nicely in part one. As for part two, and for all the other pain and suffering in the world today; breathe.
Amen. We posted a few articles re the shooting this morning…Kate's is amazing. Of course, we had to wait to post them, because the site was down and out, and then so was I. Thanks, friend!
~
Comments via FB:
Pamela Lawrence-moore liked new post
Anne Bell Jacks Not 'everyone' suffers from depression. Yes, everyone feels sadness but not true clinical depression. These are all fabulous ways of feeling better when you're having some bad days. But none of these things put a dent on true depression.
Maryka Hodson Napier Love it! So damn true! Especially the dog part!
elephantjournal.com Anne, semantics. Depression is something we all experience, to varying degrees. If truly clinical, yes, drugs and doctors may be necessary—but we don't believe everything conventional medicine tells us is solid about us, and profitable for them. The Buddha taught about depression 2,500 years ago. It is part of the human experience.
And only recently has become something solid and profitable. That's not to say it's not serious, and needs attention. Click the links…one is from an experienced doctor re depression.
Randolph Roeder Semantics ? That's a poor choice of words.
20 minutes ago · Edited · Like · 1
Anne Bell Jacks I've been seeing many for over a year now. You know not of what you speak.
21 minutes ago · Like · 1
Anne Bell Jacks Using acupuncture, herbal supplements, yoga in addition to traditional medicine. I have 4 dogs, walk several hours through beautiful trails daily. No one can say I don't try to break this horrific cycle. To say, to even pose the the possibility that I have made this 'my choice' is ignorant and more so, simply cruel.
15 minutes ago · Like
Pamela Lawrence-moore sitting zazen really helps with my anxiety , ptsd and what they call great depression. i can go on. this is what i call the benefits of different sytles of meditation. maybe not for everyone, but works for this old soul.
10 minutes ago · Unlike · 1
Anne Bell Jacks I "liked" your page. Will "unlike" once I press post.
8 minutes ago · Like
elephantjournal.com Randolph, when I say depression, I'm talking about something we all go through. When Anne talks about depression, she seems to mean, primarily, clinical depression. We're talking about different things, using the same word. That's semantics, no?
a few seconds ago · Like
elephantjournal.com Anne Bell Jacks, if you unlike everything you ever have a respectful debate with, you'll only be left with the MSNBCs and Fox News of the world: media you always agree with. Sorry to hear.
Anne, for the third time, we're talking about different things. I wasn't talking about you. Each to her or his own–I respect that you know and respect your own experience and don't need to be told what to do.
That said, I'm talking about something we all go through, and I'd appreciate it if you don't tell me about my experience, or right to work with it or offer what I've found to be helpful. Each to her or his own.
Hmmmm …. some of the actual back & forth that occurred was left out here (above) ….. I'll suppose this was due to the site having gone down then getting rescued and the processes thereof ….. oui/non ?
Waylon: would like to share this, and not seeing the usual sharing (via email) links at top of page? BTW, as someone who also has personal experience with depression, both clinical and the 'usual' garden variety, props to you for shining light on topic that is far too often "taboo". Namaste! CAL
I’m glad you wrote this. People get awfully prickly when we discuss something so important and personal, and I’m sorry if the prickles got to you. I’m still glad you wrote it – thanks…
Where do we get the music to dance to if we unplug everything electronic?
I know this topic well, and I feel empathy for those above that find the suggestions trite. But I can say that is you just start moving, just a little bit, you can see the light ahead….
Loved your article, thanks, Waylon, these reminders comes in handy.
I would also add journaling to the list.
Cheers!
Namasté
agree with all of it but avoid sex? nah! a surefire way to lift the mood!
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