The Way Out of Depression Is the Way In

Someone contacted me to ask how to overcome depression. Here is my response:

It is difficult to answer specifically as depression can be both simple and complex. The simple aspect of depression is that it is just the result of stories  you tell or ideas that you have about your life. The complexity comes from how strong the feelings are that those stories create. And then the strong feelings create more ideas and stories which becomes a kind of circular loop.

The opportunity is always here to simply stop right where you are and either explore the ideas that are arising or simply feel the feelings you are having. The way out of depression is the way further into it. When you fully experience the illusory nature of the thoughts, or the simple energetic nature of the feelings, then the cycle of thought-feeling-thought-feeling can be interrupted.

What are you thinking right now? Is it true? What are you feeling right now? Is the feeling really so bad or is it just a particular set of sensations? Asking these questions over and over can gently interrupt the cycle of depression. It is not always easy since depression can have a lot of momentum, but it can be this simple.

One extra tip: whenever possible, ask the questions and answer them out loud or by writing them down. This naturally draws on more of your own intelligence and capacity for perspective than when you just think the questions and answers silently.

I hope this helps.