There are nine million bicycles in Beijing, that's a fact, it's a thing... and I can't get out of my head this verse of Katie Melua's song, but this post is not about bicycles, because it awakens painful memories, and it's not about Beijing either. I guess you read the title before opening the post so you kind of figured out what my ramblings this morning are about, cuz yeah, in here it's still morning... for me.
It might be quite a grey one though, for the 264 million people around the world that are dealing with depression. A mental health condition that affects people of all ages and that can lead to suicide, and I don't know if you knew that, but suicide is the second cause of death in 15-29-year-olds. If you don't believe me ask the World Organization Health and you'll see these are facts.
I guess at some point in time, many of us faced an episode of depression, and it's probably natural to happen, as life was not meant to be clear skies and sunny days, every day. When depression won't leave we can say we're a bit in trouble, and most of the affected ones go to therapists, and some really know how to deal with this happiness thief, but some don't, and the ones that don't, prescribe xanax and other shit to close case their depressed patience.
At some point these pills might be the only chance left, but in early stages I believe they're absolutely undesirable, and if I were a psychiatrist I would prescribe the healthiest, cheapest, most at hand, and easy to swallow remedy, which is meditation. Yep, wouldn't try to convert the mental suffering patients into monks but I believe that meditation really has some healing power to it, when it comes to burned out minds.
I rarely practice meditation any longer, because I seem to be caught online too much and I kind of forgot about it, but I've had my days with it and I tell you it's definitely worth it. I remember when I managed to meditate for three hours, without blinking an eye, and I got to tell you that it is divine. No, I haven't seen angels or any other creatures during that time but, I felt like I wasn't having a mind anymore, if one can comprehend that.
I really felt like...being nothing, and while transforming, sort to speak, to nothing, what is there to affect you anymore... Hence put meditation in the hands of a depressed person, and my guess is that in a few weeks or months this condition will gradually step back. You don't even have to get obsessed with it, or spend anything on any helping tool. You don't need a new bed mattress, no fruits, no special perfumes in your room, and not even a meditation posture. You just need to sit quiet.
There are probably tens of meditation practices out there, but I am here to talk about the simplest one, probably the most efficient one, and the one that no therapist recommends. I call it the true Buddha meditation, because I believe that Buddha didn't enchanted chants, had no mantras, no music and no guide to whisper in his ears what to focus on next and how to meditate. He just sat under a tree, eyes closed, and let everything pass by him, mentally and physically, and that's what I would encourage the ones suffering of depression to do every day.
You just have to sit somewhere, in the quietest place you can find, preferably in your home, get comfortable, but not too comfortable so you won't fall asleep, close your eyes, and do nothing. Don't follow any thought that arises, don't fight against it when it does, don't tempt it, and avoid imagining anything. Simply be there. It's that simple...
Actually is not that simple when you start doing it, but gradually anyone can learn to simply be and meditate, for a few minutes a day, and what a change that would make in the world. Overthinking and mental suffering are habits that we've developed in time, and so could be the practice of meditation. Almost anything that has been done can be undone so why not work a bit in undoing bad habits.
Imagine how life would change for the 264 million people around the world suffering from depression. They just need someone to tell them about it and to recommend it. When you are in suffering, mental or physical, you feel the need for support and for someone to guide you, but unfortunately not all of the guides are taking meditative practices into account when dealing with mental disorders. In some cases it might not repair too much anymore, so drugs might be the last option, but in most of the lite ones I believe it would have a tremendous impact.
You don't even have to get depressed to meditate daily, or as often as you can. Sometimes even a bad day at work can be wiped out from your memory with twenty minutes of meditation, and I know that I already sound like a meditation fanatic, but I'm really not. Moreover I feel like I dedicated this post to myself as well, as a reminder to meditate once in a while. It doesn't have side effects, taste or color, but you'll be amazed of the deep changes that you can experience once making it a habit.
Thanks for attention,
Adrian