meditation to help your Mood

Many of us believe that depression is only about those who are deeply discouraged. The most prevalent form of depression, however, usually leaves us able to continue our daily activities. The problem is we tend to go through our day often feeling emotionally numb. Sometimes we seem to disconnect from ordinary events and live on autopilot. Activities that used to be fun no longer are enjoyable. Socializing with friends can become dull or boring in many instances. Though much of our busy day can go well, when we are in a quiet part of our day, our unhappiness, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness re-emerge.

Our mood can rob us of our satisfaction in living. Our ability to take pride in our work is diminished. Our relationships with key people are less satisfying. We often worry about our lack of skills and strengths. Feeling unworthy of success and happiness is common.

Chronic fatigue may accompany our day, and adequate sleep or naps do not seem to relieve it. Brain fog may occur, making it difficult to think clearly or exercise our creativity to cope with simple problems.

We may become more irritable and prone to bouts of anxiety or outrage. Thoughts of helplessness tend to recur, especially as we brood on our failures.

- JT, Canada

- RT, Florida

Active Meditation exercises induce a deep meditative state. In addition, they highlight the skillful use of the mind to consciously engage the intelligence, courage, love, and joy of our Higher Self. The objective is to enrich our character with the qualities of cheerfulness, persistence, and emotional self-control. These are the strengths we need to cope with discouragement and helplessness. By actively engaging the confidence and optimism of the Higher Self we can heal the beliefs and habits that keep recreating depression.

This short meditation is designed to help relieve short term minor symptoms of anxiety and discouragement.

Discouragement and disappointment tend to reproduce themselves. They blind us to many of the constructive aspects of life while highlighting attention on the unhappy side of our past and present.

A dark mood dulls our natural enthusiasm and makes us devalue our strengths. As a result, we are less engaged in our opportunities. We tend to do less and accomplish less to support our joy in living.

A depressed outlook will continually draw us back to review and often relive highlights of past defeats, failures, and other unhappy memories. Eventually we come to accept discouragement as our new normal and begin to live with lowered expectations about everything.

First, it can lead us to experience a more quiet and calm state of thought and feeling. Here we can move away from the chattering mind to achieve a degree of peace and space to calm and renew our self.

Second, effective meditation can draw us closer to our higher resources of strength, understanding, and self-control. Connecting with these inner potentials can increase our ability to cope with anxiety and the situations that discourage us.

Third, meditation can help regulate the neurotransmitters in the brain that may be contributing to ongoing mood imbalances.