 Spiritual: April 16, 2008 Issue [#2338] |
  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: Puditat  
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Spiritual: relating to the spirit or soul and not to physical matter; intangible. Collins Dictionary and Thesaurus
This newsletter explores ideas of the spiritual nature that exists in each and every one of us in an open and non-judgemental manner.
Each editor brings to the newsletter their own backgrounds, experiences, beliefs and opinions. Whether you disagree, agree, doubt or applaud the views expressed, let us all show respect to each other. Together we can learn something about the many varied aspects of the spiritual self and enjoy our differences in true meaning of the Spirit of Community.
Enjoy! 
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** Mild Depression **
Editor's note: This is not a clinical discussion, but rather a personal viewpoint. If anyone is suffering depression they should seek advice from a professional or trusted friend/family member.
Life is full of ups and downs. One minute you're soaring along and the next a tragedy or crisis hits and your whole world takes a darker shade of hope. Sometimes we're ticking along in our little world of routine and safety, then BAM!, something shakes us up and we're not sure we want to be jolted from that convenient and non-threatening rut.
Sometimes even a good event can cause stress that leads to a mild form of depression, as well as the more understood negative event. It's true, that even our ruts can lead to depression as we slide from one day to the next wondering whether life is supposed to contain more than what you've seen.
Mild depression has many causes and many symptoms, often conflicting. Inability to sleep or wanting to sleep all the time. Crazy, over-the-top behaviour, or uncharacteristic withdrawal. Overeating and dependence on comfort food or the inability to eat or lack of appetite. Moodiness, crying, feeling emotionless or overwhelmed by emotions...the list goes on.
What makes the difference between mild and normal or severe depression. Well this is my personal definition, but I class mild depression as a temporary condition that does pass without needing medical care. Mild is also when you still have the ability to recognise the symptoms and the will to improve your mental health. The line between the types is muddy and dangerous. So often it is easy to underestimate how much help one needs to climb from their despair.
I am speaking, as I so often do, from personal experience. I have been in situations where I suffered severe depression. It's a place I never want to go again. More recently I've experienced mild depression and it took me a few weeks to click on to the fact. It was clouded by health, with a stomach flu followed closely by a regular flu. Many life circumstances can often mask the deeper, emotional processes.
I am losing two very important groups of people from my everyday life. My mother and step-father are moving away, not so far that I can't see them regularly, but not as often as I am used to. For most of my life I lived within 5 minutes from Mum, and I saw her at least 3 days a week. Now, with the distance and rising fuel prices, I will not even see her once a week. I am very close to my mother and while some may not understand this, I am devastated by the change. They shift this weekend and I am not looking forward to it.
The other group is comprised of a couple and their kids. She is my best friend; her husband is my husband's best friend. Them and their two children, aged 3 and 1.5, have been a huge part of our lives. I have known him since he was an altar boy and I an altar girl at the Anglican Church in our pre-teen youth. We are very close, sharing meals together weekly as well as other social and church related events. They have moved a massive 3.5 hours away. Yes, we can visit, but that regular contact has gone.
The crunch came when it was our friends' farewell (I am yet to go through Mum's one). I could not stop crying and had to withdraw from the party of 90-odd people. I walked down the road a bit and sat on the grass verge for 3 hours. I did not eat, except the odd little bit my husband brought out to me when he checked up on me, and I only did that because it made it easier for him. It was then I realised that I had become depressed with the losses happening in my life. I needed to deal with it.
Realising it is the best thing that could have happened. Once I realised, I was able to grieve the loss and begin to look at ways that the relationship can be maintained. It freed me to embrace the emotions and give them their air time. It is the only healthy way to move on. I had buried that grief for too long, and left longer, would have become as poison. I know - I've been there before.
Depression can hide in many ways. It is often far from obvious for quite some time, until it reaches a point where intervention is required. I am not an unhappy person. I love my life and all that it contains, so it surprised me that I had fallen into a depressed state. Why did it happen? I kept my grief locked up too long. I didn't face the emotions so that they merged into a black pool of abandonment and loneliness. Fortunately, I saw what was happening and I can now work through those issues.
Most of all, what saved me from worse, is the knowledge that I am secure in Christ. No matter how insecure I feel, I know He is strong. No matter how low my self-worth gets, He still loves me. Whether I am happy or sad, He surrounds me with His peace, and forgives me in His grace and mercy. I am still sad, and I am sure the tears have not run their full course, but I remind myself of the positives and treat every moment with my loved ones as very precious.
So, mild depression or not, we can still have hope. A hope that is in the One who never changes; the One who never fails, the One who will NEVER leave us. My hope is in Christ, and so is my life. Where is yours?
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."
1 Peter 5:6-10
Till next time:
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 My inner child has come out to play a lot. When things got heated I went back to that place that I created that is safe, nurturing, and loving. I never knew how strong I was as a child. She's amazing! Weeowl
weeowl flying free!
How cute! I'm glad you've discovered that inner strength and freedom to let the inner child have some fun. 
Excellent writing about the inner child and the way we can either trap ourselves within her/his blanket or comfort bubble or we can grow with her/him. The first step is to acknowledge the inner child. I befriended my inner child finally at the age of 25. That was almost 20 years ago. Sometimes I wish I had befriended her much earlier. Since then though, I have grown and achieved a serenity not possible if I had not done so. Thank you for featuring my pen "Inner Child". It has been a long and fruitful journey.
Blessed Be~ )O(
DragonBlue
Thank you for the kind support and you are most welcome for the feature. 
I disagree that the Inner Child appears when we're bullied and is where we store hurtful events. Those things damage our IC. The Inner Child is the untouched innocence that believes in hope and dreams. The part mature adults call naive. Bullies like the step sisters bring us to the point where Cinderella cried giving up on dreams and the Ball. The harsh reality of our situation crushes the IC. Hurt brings common sense that says there's no Santa and we need to grow up and stop looking for something that's never going to happen. The IC is the part that the Fairy God Mother refers to. "You haven't stopped believing completely or I couldn't be here." The IC is the thin strand of hope that we keep as we cry despite sense. The part that refuses to completely let go of that dream that once the trials are over the happy end will come. I speak from experience. I've written about the hurt and against gullibility. But I still keep dreamy ideas in my life and writing. It's sometimes called faith.
Miracle
I find your viewpoint interesting and can understand your comments. However, I also know from experience that the inner child is capable of retaining hurts even when we feel we've freed them. I think it is very individual. The inner child is not some separate being, but an intrinsic part of us. Our inner child is shaped by our life events and how we choose to deal with those things. For some it means protecting the inner child from such rubbish, for others the inner child is a safe place to lock away the trash. There is no right or wrong - each person's inner child is as unique as the outer person. Thank you for sharing your point of view with us.
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