How Making Decisions Relates To Depression And Happiness

May 4, 2011

Decision And Depression

Scientific studies show that people who feel they have no control over their life are more prone to depression, but people who feel they have control over their life in general are happy and positive.

Therefore we can say in a generality that a feeling of lack of control leads to depression.
We liken the mind to the tires of a car, in that a poor quality tire gives a very poor ability to control the car, it will not be stable to drive with an off balance wobbly or flat tire. If your mind is not strong and stable enough, you will feel you have no control over events and thus the future of your life, which makes life hopeless and will lead you to depression.

Let’s look a this process in reverse. If you feel a sense of depression or hopelessness in your life, we can say that a cause of this is that you do not feel you have control over the events in your life, over what will happen to you and over what you will do. By exercising control over your life, by making decisions, you will alleviate the feeling of hopelessness and depression.

Control is the master key. In the car, by changing the tires to a higher quality, you will have better control. In the mind it is a matter of the quality of your thoughts. By changing the quality of your thoughts to more powerful, positive and decisive, you will alter your level of control over the events in your life and cure the problem that way.

This is actually the easiest thing in the world to do, because it is as simple as taking action, by making a decision.

If you acknowledge that depression is caused by a feeling of lack of control, and that the mind is the weak point between you and the world, meaning who is in control; you the driver or the wobbly tires reacting to the bumps in the road sending you into a ravine. If we change the tires, meaning the type and quality of your thoughts through your actions, you will gain strength of character, will-power and confidence.

To do this it is important to accept that the outcome of the decision is irrelevant at this point in the process of taking control. The point is that you make a decision. That you decide and take control and implement action by making a decision, the outcome is irrelevant because the quality of the mind is that you choose, you are in control of the decision.

Using the example of dating, since loneliness is a major cause of depression as well, if you take the action, make a decision and speak to that person on the street or in the cafe who you find attractive, the power of the decision to take action is very exhilarating as long as you are not conce
ed with the outcome.

Only by taking control and learning from your experiences will you be able to improve the quality of your decisions. It is the same as when you start working and do not have much money, you have to buy less expensive tires, but as you improve and make more money, you can buy better quality tires and a car.

In the same way, you make decisions and take control of your life and as you do, over time, the quality of your decisions improve thus giving you greater power. Unless you are willing to accept that the outcome of the decision is irrelevant, but the point is that you made a decision, then you will never take control of your life because you are too scared to make a wrong decision, and thus remain depressed.

People who turn all their affairs over to God, submitting to the will of God, that everything is in God’s hands, have relinquished control, and are thus now helpless. In fact, what they have done is avoid responsibility for their life.

‘God helps those who help themselves.’ This very well known saying is always forgotten by people of blind faith, who normally are very poor, depressed and find their only comfort in brainwashing themselves with the thought that God knows best.

There is a good story about the civil defense evacuating people from an approaching tornado. Some people stood fast refusing to leave with the explanation that God will protect them. Who do you think is sending the tornado!!!

This is the self destructive foolishness of blind faith. Blind faith is not just in religion, it is in following anyone you trust without thinking for yourself, be that a parent, teacher or employer.

Take responsibility for your life, have faith in the one being which has direct control over your life, YOU.

Success comes to those who DARE and ACT!