Imagine this scenario…

After yoga class with friends, you notice Annabelle is acting unlike herself. You can’t put your finger on what it is that you notice, so you keep it to yourself. The next day at work, you notice that Annabelle is not walking the way she usually does, she seems frustrated and sighs when the phone rings. You ask her if she is okay and she tells you she is fine, just tired.  This continues until a week later you ask her again and this time she tells you she has a pulled muscle in her back and a sprained wrist. You had no idea. Annabelle tells you she is embarrassed and didn’t want the boss to know because she hasn’t been finishing her work. You don’t want your friend to suffer, so you take it upon yourself to make an appointment and offer to drive her to see the doctor.

Now, what if were to replace “pulled muscle” and “sprained wrist” with “depression”? Are you as likely to take the same action for your friend?

Did you know that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide? Only about half of those diagnosed receive treatment – in many countries this is fewer than 10%. Although getting help from health care professionals is always a recommended approach, many people lack the resources, time and access to such care.  Depression makes it even harder to follow through with plans. Some even turn to detrimental forms of self-medication, such as drinking alcohol.

How do you know when someone has depression? The National Institute of Mental Health defines depression as a “mood disorder that causes severe symptoms affecting how you feel, think, and handle daily activities”. The combination of environmental factors, personality, genetics and biochemistry can lead to its onset. It’s been compared to catching a cold. It can affect anyone at any time.

Although not all of these factors can be easily changed, there are things we can do to reduce our susceptibility. The habit of washing your hands comes naturally and we do it for the sake of our health. Is there anything you can do similarly to help reduce the symptoms of depression? It turns out there is.

The amygdale is a part of the brain closely associated with depression. The amygdale modulates the fear response. In depressed people, the amygdale tends to be larger and overly active in response to negative stimuli, such as seeing something upsetting, or feeling sad. These feelings become more intense than usual. The brain has a “cold” and is now sneezing, metaphorically. Additionally, things that are usually fun and make you happy just don’t rise to the level of  “happy” anymore.

When researchers studied the overactive amygdale they found that meditation may counteract depression by reducing amygdale activity and by increasing activity in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and other brain regions associated with attention and emotional self-regulation.

When the Fall season arrives, it comes with warm, comforting recipes and new visual landscapes to admire. It can also bring Seasonal Affective Depression that creeps in like the cloudy skies.

Seasonal Affective Depression is thought to be caused by lack of bright sunlight. If you find yourself feeling blue and gloomy on days that are grey, it’s worth looking into. Most people who have it, may not even be aware that’s the cause of how they are feeling. On the other hand, rain and gloom cheers some people up. They find they have lots of energy on those days.

I also encourage you to practice meditation as a way to feel better. Meditation can be done anywhere, such as a walking meditation.

Sometimes a new environment or a porch swing can have a similar effect. Here are some pictures from my “sabbatical” in Ocean Springs, MS earlier this month with my beloved little cat, Kwan Yin. She was my sabbatical companion while I was there.

We now know with overwhelming evidence that using meditation can help individuals achieve astonishing results in their physical and mental health. 

This space is too short to offer you a whole course in meditation, but I do want you to know about what meditation is and what it is not.

Recently, I asked my intern students if they were teaching their clients to meditate. I was surprised to hear one student say, “isn’t it just deep breathing?” or “relaxing with your eyes closed?” The simple answer is No.  Deep breathing is deep breathing and is useful to help when we feel anxious. Relaxing is relaxing. Also good for us, but it is not meditation.

What is meditation? It’s the act of clearing your mind of clutter and becoming grounded and focused. It is a mental and physical reset button.

It starts with posture.  You want to stay relaxed and alert and focus on the present moment. You let your breath do its own thing. You notice. Your breath may change or not. You just notice. Don’t judge.

A good attitude helps but as my teacher, Jon Kabat Zinn said, “you don’t have to like it to do it.” Chances are when you start you’ll feel awkward or uncomfortable. That’s okay.  Finding the ideal meditation posture and seating can take a while. There’s no one-size-fits all seat for meditation. You may think of seeing people seated cross-legged on cushions on the floor, but you can also meditate seated in a chair, or walking, or eating mindfully.

Your mind will chatter. It’s called monkey mind because it’s like a monkey jumping from tree to tree. Just notice, don’t judge, let it be. Try not to dwell on any thought. Let them come and go like clouds in a sky. Come back to your breathing over and over.

Here are 10 steps to prepare for daily meditation.

1.) Take a seat.

2.) Let your eyes gaze slightly downward, 4 to 6 feet in front of you or close your eyes. Try it both ways to see which you like best.

3.) Tuck your chin in slightly to keep your spine aligned.

4.) Sit upright and straight but not unnaturally stiff. Arching or slouching produces tension. To align your spine, bend forward then slowly straighten up. Try to feel each vertebra stack up as you go.

5.) Center your sitting bones. Don’t lean forward or backward. Allow yourself to “settle in.” Take your time to get comfortable. Rock back and forth and side to side until you feel the sitting bones loosen up. The rest of your posture will more easily fall into place now.

6.) Keep your arms parallel to your body, palms on your thighs. Some people like to place their hands together or one palm holding the other palm.

7.) Sit with your knees below your hips, legs loosely crossed. That’s why you see people sitting on cushions or meditation benches. You will want to experiment to find the right height.

8.) Come prepared with a shawl, socks, glass or water, and timer.

9.) It’s okay to take a break during your meditation session. Try bringing your knees to your chest, curving your spine forward to stretch out.

10.) If sitting is uncomfortable, take your seat in a chair. It’s easier on your knees and convenient. Resist the urge to slouch back in the chair unless you really need to. Sitting straight helps your breathing. Keep your feet flat on the floor. You may have to use a stool or something under your feet if the chair is too high off the floor.

Homework:

Practice with no expectations but notice the results.