During a depression, your ego mind (the part of you that thrives on fear, guilt, and shame) does not want to hear a positive message. It is much happier telling you how awful your condition is, how wrong you are, how hopeless you are, and how nothing will ever change.
Do not trust the messages your mind is delivering! This is why interjecting and gently reinforcing another viewpoint in the midst of a depression can really help – why affirmations, prayer, meditation and spiritual readings really do work, even when they seem out of touch with the reality of your experience.
The important thing is to select methods and spiritual practices that help move you from a fear-based, self-flagellating state of mind to a more loving, forgiving and self-supporting place. Any spiritual path that delivers a message of applying love and forgiveness in your life is a good place to start. I believe that it is particularly effective for those of us struggling with depression because so often depressed feelings are tied closely to low self-esteem, overwhelming guilt, and anger at the self. During a depression, the first one who needs love, comforting and compassion is yourself; the first person who needs forgiveness is you. And finding love and forgiveness in your heart for yourself is a spiritual process, not just taking medication or undergoing psychotherapy in isolation.
In a depression, you are a foot soldier in the minefield of your own negative thoughts. Unfortunately and oddly enough, you are in the unenviable position of playing the role of both the enemy and the rescue forces. You are experiencing a very temporary period when your mind is virtually attacking your soul – a period that might occur again and again until the chemistry of your body is brought back into balance, your ego mind is allowed to subside, and your soul or “Higher Self” is in command again. Please do not give up on yourself until that happens.
