Once in a while I feel very sad and get depressed; no big deal—everybody get depressed once in a while!
The trigger for the depression could anyone of the myriad reasons that I have—body pain, inability to do what I want to, something that I did, something that I didn’t do, something that I should have done, an opportunity missed, an opportunity that I should have missed, a harsh word spoken, a harsh word that was addressed to me, a deadline missed, time wasted, something that I forgot, something that I should have failed to remember, and so on.
Once I am in the depressive mood, I try to get out it as soon as possible; but it is not always easy. My depression fighting techniques include watching a humorous or action packed movie, reading thrillers, listening to music, watching the plants and flowers in our garden, writing about the cause of depression, etc.
Most of the time they work. But, there are times none of these techniques work and I will be in a depressed mood making the life difficult for everyone in the house.
The most effective way to fight depression is to think about your blessings. We don’t realize how fortunate we are. We complain and whine about the smallest inconvenience, slightest discomfort, or minutest annoyance. We say life is not fair. We become depressed and think why only we have to strive hard and struggle to get something done.
But if we look around, we will find people who really struggle, toil and labor to make a living. We will find people without homes, food, clothes, medical care, etc. For these people everyday is a battle for survival and every meal has to be earned breaking their backs. If they don’t work a day, they and their families won’t eat. They don’t have the luxury of vacations or holidays.
Once we look around us, we will realize how fortunate we are. How small are our problems compared to many others? We will realize that we don’t have any right to complain, feel sad, or get depressed.
So the next time when you get depressed or feel bad, think about the countless people who are less fortunate than you. Then you won’t feel so bad; that is something I can guarantee.