Developing lifestyle diseases is easier than ever in the drastically changing world due to several predisposing factors like social media. Depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses that several factors can cause.
The trigger can be related to work, financial status, stressful life events, etc. With depression comes addiction, secondary diseases, and a reduction in productivity. So, it is best to manage depression early to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Curing depression can be challenging as most depressed people are in denial and prefer to alienate themselves. To manage depression, you have to consider talk therapy, medication, meditation, or a combination of the three.
Medications and talk therapy are the mainstay treatment for depression. But, personal meditation is an equally effective way to provide discreet and self-initiated management of the condition. It can blend perfectly with other natural treatment methods like CBD and THC. You can try Delta 8 thc cartridges here and also use CBD to help increase focus and relaxation during meditation.
CBD for Depression
Studies show that CBD modulates numerous neurotransmitter networks implicated in depression, such as serotonin, glutamine, and endocannabinoid systems.
CBD provokes cellular and molecular modifications in brain tracts associated with depression, such as increasing the formation of signaling synapses. CBD chemicals also increase neurogenesis and repair the hippocampus, an area of the brain that regulates stress hormones.
The cannabinoid can also manage symptoms of depression like headache and fatigue. It has analgesic and euphoric effects that boost mood, bring about relaxation and enhance focus: all properties important in meditation therapy.
How Meditation Helps with Depression
Depression brings about worry, apprehension, sadness, and fear. It distorts the mental alignment by exerting harmful effects on the amygdala, hippocampal formation, and thalamus. However, meditation sharpens focus and relaxes the mind and body while balancing stress hormones. This process helps in repairing the brain regions affected by depression.
The goal of meditation is not to shove away anxiety or eliminate pessimistic reflections. It is about recognizing those feelings and perceptions and understanding that you shouldn’t act on them. Meditation is as simple as shutting your eyes and reciting an idiom or word or counting your breaths. This process helps you distance yourself from ill thoughts.
With the help of meditation, you can gain a fresh viewpoint on stressful circumstances, build abilities to survive depression, and increase self-awareness. It also helps to reduce pessimistic thoughts and increases imagination, creativity, and tolerance. Different types of meditation include:
- Mindfulness meditation
- Transcendental meditation
- Walking meditation
- Yoga
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Observing thought meditation
- Reflection
Mindfulness reflection motivates you to identify roaming ideas as they drift through your mind. It helps you focus and ignore distractions, thus making you extra resilient under stress (the gateway to depression).
Studies show that mindfulness meditation helps treat depression, notably preventing relapse in major depressive disorder. It has been used in cognitive therapy for recovering addicts to eliminate stress and anxiety.
Most people love yoga. But whether you do it at the beach or in your home, make sure the environment is serene and free from distractions. Yoga helps you focus on your breath and physical sensation in the present moment; this might involve counting breaths to avoid distractions.
Yoga increases focus and relaxation, which helps a lot during depression. Also, according to research, yoga shows antidepressant properties by reducing cortisol levels in outpatients with depression.
Cortisol is a stress hormone that reacts to fear and threat. In a depressive state, the amygdala (a fear region in the brain) is affected, leading to the production of cortisol. Therefore, it is advisable to do yoga to reduce your blood cortisol levels and effectively relieve stress and anxiety.
In transcendental meditation or effortless transcending, you relieve the mind of all thoughts to help you realize your true self or self-worth. The brain becomes void of all emotions, and you focus on deep awareness. With an increased feeling of self-worth and consciousness, you can eliminate worry, iffiness, anxiety, and fears surrounding depression.
Meditation Steps To Cure Depression
Relax Your Body
It is best to sit during meditation, but standing or lying down flat is okay if that works for you. The aim is to relax and get comfortable, and you might have to shut your eyes to rest better.
Focus On Your Breathing
Breath slowly and deeply through your nose while focussing on the pattern and number of breaths. It is good to notice any breathing sounds and the feeling during inhalation and exhalation. Also, try to shift your focus on breathing each time you think of a different thing.
Transition Awareness From Breathing To Body
After the mind concentrates entirely on the breath patterns, it gradually transits to different parts of your body. You can start with the legs to feel if there’s any pressure or aches.
After scanning all body segments, return to the breath and repeat the process as many times as possible.
Conclusion
If you’re suffering from depression, it would be best to consider a brief therapy like meditation before opting for synthetic antidepressants. These medications might cause insomnia, agitation, digestive problems, and a general feeling of illness. This makes meditation a safer alternative. You can use either guided or unguided meditation to alleviate depressive symptoms. Meditation therapy is also flexible and can supplement talk therapy and medications. It is a cheap way to combat depressive disorders.
