What is it Like to Be Depressed?

Depression is said to be the "common cold" of mental illness. Unfortunately there has been such a stigma attached to mental illness that throughout history, those having to contend with whatever aspect(s) of mental illness life threw at them, also had to contend with many associated social injustices as well.

While moments of panic and anxiety can quickly escalate into perhaps the most unpleasant feelings one can ever have, they tend to be more temporary and fleeting than depression which can go on and on without any let-up for days, weeks or even months on end.

For those who have never experienced depression, it is like being in an "emotional" marathon without end or without any hope of respite. One feels smothered in an emotional blanket of chronic hopelessness and frustration. Things seem so hopeless and altogether without any meaning or purpose, one feels completely lost and in great despair. Just trying to drum up enough motivation to do even the simplest of tasks no matter how important becomes a serious problem. Procrastination, a lack of concentration often along with an overwhelming feeling of fatigue are other symptoms of depression that can cause much havoc in one's productivity and social life.

Depression is a constant feeling of committing great effort without any hope of reward. In fact even the littlest of things seem to take such effort that climbing out of bed can seem like climbing Mt. Everest. One tends to withdraw and avoid others so as not to feel too overwhelmed by their presence because one who is often depressed, may also be oversensitive to any sort of stress as well.

Many of life's situations that one can normally handle become extremely burdensome for those who are too depressed to handle much, if anything. Suicidal thoughts are quite common and one often feels tired, sluggish, lonely, rejected and/or unloved even if that may be far from true. One also tends to be much more sensitive to any sort of physical pain or inconvenience and one would often go to great lengths to avoid even the slightest amount of exertion and/or physical discomfort. One would not exercise as much or socialize as much. Many important aspects of self-care can become neglected. Many things that at one time meant much, may no longer mean anything, no matter how important, depending on how depressed one is.

The quagmire of depression can be a very serious illness leading to all sorts of complications such as homelessness, hospitalization or even worse, suicide. Teenagers and the elderly tend to be most vulnerable to this illness. Teenagers because of intense hormonal changes and all the complications and complexities of growing up, and the elderly because of biochemical changes in the aging brain, poor nutrition, loneliness and neglect. However, advanced nutritional help and compassionate, psychological counseling can go a long way to avert these problems.

The loss of a loved one or spouse or any such period of stress can trigger a lifetime of depression. That is why it is very important that anyone going through any stressful turning points in life need the support of others and need to be especially careful to make sure that one's diet and other vital health needs are never neglected. That is why, regardless of the situation, natural whole foods, high nutrient density super food supplements and plenty of antioxidants are essential!

My own personal experiences of depression often had a strong spiritual connotation. It consisted of a strong feeling of separation from God(dess) or my soul mate whether she may exist or not. I would often sense a very strong need for a girlfriend and would often feel very rejected and lonely especially toward my earlier years. In my situation, depression, fatigue and anxiety would often go together or alternate from one to the other on a weekly or monthly basis. Most of my life has been completely ruined by these feelings. I would often get constant feelings of fatigue, tiredness along with a tremendous reduction in level of productivity resulting in serious financial problems. I would tend to fall asleep during the day causing a tendency to stay up all night or not sleep as well or effectively.

I was forced to search very long and hard for answers, some of which could be found through eating only the right kinds of food, drinking plenty of ionized water, and taking combinations of herbs, antioxidants and other special supplements that were not only good for my moods but also good for my health and brain power.

There is also a spiritual, transcendental, and/or metaphysical aspect to the alleviation of my depression. One thing that helped a great deal was realizing that I am a spiritual being having a human experience and that there is a much, much better life waiting for all of us at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I could often sense angels, guides, spirits and even God(dess) helping, loving and guiding me. I cannot even begin to describe how important, healing and reassuring it is for me to be able to sense God's love personally. Whether or not it was just mainly tricks of my imagination, there were definitely very healing and benevolent forces at work to make my life's challenges more bearable.

Not at first knowing or being completely sure there was a much better existence beyond death was a great concern of mine. Not until I was perfectly sure that there is indeed a much finer quality life and much more permanent existence waiting for all of us beyond death, could I feel more confident, relaxed and secure about my life's meaning and purpose here on the all-disappointing earth plane. It became possible to tolerate earthly life once again as a result of knowing all I can about the astral and spiritual worlds.

I have documented much research and personal experiences regarding the afterlife. I have discovered many of the best near-death experience sites ever, voice mediumship and many other spirit communication resources. This idea is not some far-fetched "New Age" speculation nor is it meant to contradict science or Christianity. It is just overwhelming evidence of the continuation of life in a much better plane(s) of existence regardless of religion, lifestyle, belief system, race or even species!

Just knowing that someday I am destined to live a much better, finer and more perfect life in a more advanced and progressive existence has made it easier to bear all the incredible emotional pain and injustices I had to endure.

More information and videos related to this article can be found here: http://www.wholejoy.com/healinganxiety/index.html

Russell Symonds (Shaktivirya) has dedicated his life to finding wholeness and is living the "wholeness" lifestyle. His website, Science of Wholeness is a spiritual and nutritional information and research center dedicated to helping you find your keys to wholeness (everlasting joy, love, bliss, rejuvenation, and much, much more). Wholeness can be many things and his website not only discusses all the different aspects of wholeness but also all the different ways toward wholeness. There is no greater thing of beauty, value and joy as wholeness!

The rest of his original articles and his free online book, Science of Wholeness I & II can be found here: http://www.wholejoy.com/wholeness/NEWS.html