Using Mindfulness To Effectively Deal With Depression

By Author: SmartDhyana
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It is no secret that depression is one of the most common illnesses that affect our society. The World Health Organization lists it as one of the leading causes if not the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide.
One of the major reasons why depression is so debilitating is because it makes you feel that you are not as strong as you thought you were. Coming to terms with this notion itself deals a major blow to your self-esteem. Add to this the internal conflict of being broken and not fitting in as a functioning member of society. All of this can be a lot to take in.
In such a scenario it can become difficult to explore remedies and not all therapies work for everyone. A knee-jerk reaction to depression is often to fight it. Rather than accepting the idea, you struggle to wage war against it. This activity itself can be mentally and emotionally exhausting.
Research has discovered that a regular mindfulness meditation practice can help combat depression by changing the way your brain responds to anxiety and stress. Stress and anxiety are major depression triggers. They keep reiterating negative ...
... thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations that make you feel unworthy of happiness.
Scientists have discovered that certain brain regions are linked to depression. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) becomes hyperactive during depression. This is the area linked with information related to the self. It processes information about yourself, your past, and your future. Another brain region that goes into overdrive during depression is the amygdala or the fear center. This area triggers the adrenal glands and keeps switching the body into fight or flight mode. Mindfulness reduces the effects of depression by causing structural changes in these two areas. It breaks the connection between them prohibiting them from triggering each other. Mindfulness helps you ignore the negative sensations of stress and anxiety. It helps your brain achieve sustained focus away from negative sensations. It also protects the hippocampus area which deals with memory. Those who practice mindfulness meditation regularly were shown to have increased grey matter volume in the hippocampus compared to those who didn’t.

The soothing power of mindfulness
The goal of mindfulness is not to avoid or fight stress or negative thoughts. That would be pointless. Instead, it enables you to notice these feelings, acknowledge them, and provides the ability to then ignore and distance yourself from them. Mindfulness helps you understand that these thoughts are not who you are. They are a temporary affliction and you don’t have to act on them.
Mindfulness also prepares your brain for stressful situations. E.g. right before going to the doctor, or taking an exam you can do a mindfulness session. This helps shift your brain and body out of its default stress response and into a state of calm and peace. A study conducted by Harvard Medical School discovered that just within eight weeks of mindfulness practice participants discovered they had increased levels of happiness and memory.
Those who suffer from depression also understand the consequences of sliding into a depressive relapse. Mindfulness can help you recognize this when it happens. It helps you engage and deal with it by tailoring your response to the situation. It helps you remain dispassionate and distanced during an episode. Researchers believe that mindfulness leads to an increase in self-compassion and a decrease in experiential avoidance. It enables you to selectively focus your attention on breathing thus ridding your mind of its introspective spiral of negative thoughts.

It is also important to mention that individuals respond differently to various courses of treatment. There is no one straight path. Mindfulness must be combined with other approaches that work best for you. There are many avenues of help available that you can try out. It may take time, but once you find a routine that works for you stick to it. Consider elements like exercise, therapy, and, interventions. Try not to get overwhelmed and reach out to those you trust. Consult a professional if depression interferes with your ability to live your life to its happiest potential. Remember, at no point are you alone in this.

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