Craters and Depression
Depression feels subterranean, like I’m in the belly of a beast and I can’t get out.
I found just the right conditions, surrounded by the beauty of the landscape that was shaped by a 6,000 year old crater, for me to explore the beauty and gifts of depression.
Depression’s job is to slow us down. I tend to fight it by wanting to push through and find my motivation. I was reminded on my hike to the crater that depression’s work is to motivate us to curl up in a cave where we are protected from threats to heal. If you’ve ever had a cold, you’ve experienced depression doing its job. It zaps our energy, slows us down and forces us to take care of ourselves.
Yet, I resist this call to slow down and have missed opportunities to take care of myself and to fill myself up with things that nourish me.
When depression comes and zaps our energy it is alright to slow down and not have an upbeat, positive attitude. Depression can help us reconnect to our center and make shifts that help breath new life into our hearts and souls. It can also set the stage to discover creative ways to nourish ourselves.
I thought as I walked:
Are there things I can do to set up a healing environment when depression is talking to me?
What am I doing that honors this slow energy and helps me create an environment where healing can take place?
What will I take with me to nourish myself as I engage with the tension of changing circumstances, situations, and behaviors?
How can I treat myself tenderly as I let go of things that are not going to work anymore and what am I going to welcome in?
A somatic exercise I tried out was to simply stretch my arms and feel the sensation of tension. It reminded me that sensations of tension are normal when I’m pursuing something new. Then I focused on the question for depression,
where has my energy gone? why was it sent away?
Sending you warm wishes from the Belly of the Beast
PS: If you are cycling with any emotion, like depression, please consider receiving a Dynamic Emotional Integration® Consultation. It is one hour, and together we look at a the emotions that are present in situations in your life.
In Dynamic Emotional Integration® we work with situational depression. People can experience it when:
having relationship or marital problems, such as fighting or divorce.
situational changes, such as retirement, going away to school, having a baby, or becoming an empty nester, happen
experiencing negative financial situation, such as money problems or losing a job
