***Tools for Transforming Depression

If you find yourself feeling unmotivated, lacking energy for life, grumpy or irritable, you may be depressed. Depression is typically caused by suppressed anger, at the root of which is the feeling of powerlessness. When we give our power away, our creative life force energy becomes stifled and “depressed” and we are no longer in the flow of manifesting abundance. We are unable to be receptive to creative solutions and new possibilities. Imagine a dam, and how it blocks the flow of water. This is what happens to our energy when we suppress our anger. When not allowed to flow, not only do we experience depression, but physical symptoms as well like illness or pain. The following is a step-by-step process to assist you in transforming depression and reclaiming your power so you can engage more fully in life: 1. Acknowledge your anger. Give it a voice by writing about it. What does it have to say? Start by writing, “What I am most angry about is…” Write non-stop for ten minutes without lifting your pen. If you have trouble identifying your anger, ask for a dream to reveal its source. Perhaps you were hurt in a romantic relationship or are angry with God for the death of a loved one. What circumstance in your life do you feel powerless over? Other healthy ways to express your anger include screaming into or hitting a pillow, pounding nails into a board, physical exertion like running or working out hard, drawing or painting your feelings. You can even visualize screaming, crying, and having a temper tantrum. In whatever way works best for you, allow your anger to be expressed. 2. Visualize where anger resides in your body. Imagine it as an object with a size, shape, color, and texture. For example, perhaps it is like a dark heavy bowling ball in your belly. Next, visualize taking it out of your belly and throwing it at something like a fence. See the fence being smashed and destroyed. Sometimes we need to destroy what isn’t serving us before we can create new possibilities for our lives. 3. Imagine bringing in the energies of forgiveness and compassion, seeing them as the colors violet and pink. Visualize mixing these energies above your head in a beautiful golden bowl along with your anger. When it feels complete, imagine pouring this transformed energy down through the crown of your head, filling your face, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, belly, legs and feet. As this energy flows through your entire body, envision it saturating every cell of your being including all of your organs and especially the area where your anger resides. See the energy flowing out of you and encompassing where you live and the people with whom you feel angry with. Imagine having a conversation with them expressing your hurt and disappointment. Share how you wish things had been different. 4. Visualize yourself in your power and light, connecting with your higher self/soul. If you have trouble doing this, then remember a time when you felt happy, empowered and confident. Focus on this memory until you experience the feeling state of empowerment. Then, with your awareness, spread this feeling throughout your body. From this place, imagine forgiving those in your life who have hurt you including yourself for giving your power away in the first place. Imagine releasing the person and freeing yourself. See them in their essence and thank them for the valuable life lessons you have learned from your interactions with them. In Louis Hay’s book, You Can Heal Your Life, she describes depression as…anger you feel you don’t have a right to have. Many of us were brought up to believe that anger was dangerous and forbidden. Therefore, we learned to repress it. On the other hand, when anger is expressed in a healthy manner, we feel more empowered and have more energy for our lives. “Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back….They're like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we're stuck.” - Pema Chodron