Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
I know this might be a little taboo, but I felt this needed to be included here. I have read so much about all of you guys struggling with suicidal ideation, hopelessness, despair, guilt, derealization, and various other terrible symptoms. A post by a fellow DS member reminded me a lot of what I've been going through and I thought I would tell you about the spiritual aspects of being human.*WARNING: if you are strictly religious and this may offend you, or if you are not open-minded on topics of spirituality, I encourage you to click away.
Sometimes depression isn't always chemical. I truly believe that we are spiritual beings living a human experience. Sometimes, after or during a series of "bad breaks" or even when things seem to appear to be smooth, something jolts a realization of impermanency and mortality- the fact that nothing lasts and we will all die. This can create chaos in our daily lives and send terror into our chests. We suddenly realize that our egos are merely social constructs and that our identities are just a false sense of self created my years of socialization with peers and brain-washing by others caught up in worldly affairs. In human terms, we can call this depression. In spiritual terms, this can be coined as a "dark night of the soul." And it crosses religions, socioeconomic status, race, culture, time period, region.
This is a profound experience for us and, on a positive note, it means you are evolving as a soul and becoming closer to your true nature which is untainted by the conditioning of society. But it's painful. It hurts like hell. You lose your sense of ego that you have clinged to all your life to help you navigate others/school/careers/family/relationships/etc. You feel like you are going mad, losing touch with reality, questioning the meaning in your life. Everything seems to be changing around you. You have no sense of identity, no sense of self anymore. And it sucks big time. Colors are bland, you feel like you're not in your body anymore, nothing matters and nothing is real. Anhedonia. You can't enjoy life anymore. Friends don't understand you. You feel different and extremely alone, like no one could ever get what you are feeing. This guys is a dark night of the soul. The good news is if you can make it through the storm clouds, much sunnier days are ahead of you and you will have achieved enlightenment/ your true nature.
Here is a link. Take a look, and maybe it will clear up some of the confusing thoughts about depression!
http://fractalenlightenment.com/28187/spirituality/7-signs-you-may-be-experiencing-a-dark-night-of-the-soul
Sometimes depression isn't always chemical. I truly believe that we are spiritual beings living a human experience. Sometimes, after or during a series of "bad breaks" or even when things seem to appear to be smooth, something jolts a realization of impermanency and mortality- the fact that nothing lasts and we will all die. This can create chaos in our daily lives and send terror into our chests. We suddenly realize that our egos are merely social constructs and that our identities are just a false sense of self created my years of socialization with peers and brain-washing by others caught up in worldly affairs. In human terms, we can call this depression. In spiritual terms, this can be coined as a "dark night of the soul." And it crosses religions, socioeconomic status, race, culture, time period, region.
This is a profound experience for us and, on a positive note, it means you are evolving as a soul and becoming closer to your true nature which is untainted by the conditioning of society. But it's painful. It hurts like hell. You lose your sense of ego that you have clinged to all your life to help you navigate others/school/careers/family/relationships/etc. You feel like you are going mad, losing touch with reality, questioning the meaning in your life. Everything seems to be changing around you. You have no sense of identity, no sense of self anymore. And it sucks big time. Colors are bland, you feel like you're not in your body anymore, nothing matters and nothing is real. Anhedonia. You can't enjoy life anymore. Friends don't understand you. You feel different and extremely alone, like no one could ever get what you are feeing. This guys is a dark night of the soul. The good news is if you can make it through the storm clouds, much sunnier days are ahead of you and you will have achieved enlightenment/ your true nature.
Here is a link. Take a look, and maybe it will clear up some of the confusing thoughts about depression!
http://fractalenlightenment.com/28187/spirituality/7-signs-you-may-be-experiencing-a-dark-night-of-the-soul
That is not to say I have no 'spirituality' ... just that I cannot relate that to the link.
Thank you for posting.