Depression-The silent killer Part-2

 WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BRAIN?

The release of chemicals called neurotransmitters in the brain governs our mood swings or emotions.

Hormones that make you happy

• Serotonin: Serotonin is sometimes called the happiness hormone. Serotonin regulates the mood, prevents depression and makes you feel happy. Serotonin can be released by getting exposed to sunlight, by eating foods rich in carbohydrates and by exercising.
• Endorphin’s: Endorphin’s can make you feel good, reduce your anxiety and your sensitivity to pain. Endorphin’s are released by exercising.
• Dopamine: Dopamine helps you to feel mentally alert. This neurotransmitter drives your brain’s reward system. If you are praised at work for doing a good job, your dopamine increases resulting in feelings of well-being. The lack of it might cause a lack of attention, lack of concentration and bad moods. Dopamine can be released by setting realistic goals (e.g., tidying your desk or sticking to your workout schedule) and achieving them and by eating foods that are rich in protein.

The amgydala is the emotional part of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is involved in judgement, planning and decision making. If the amygdala handles emotions, the prefrontal cortex handles judgements. Getting control over your emotions like anger, fear means learning ways to help your prefrontal cortex get the upper hand over your amygdala, so that you have control over how you react to anger, fear feelings.

FATAL CASES

Jiah Khan- A very famous actress Jiah Khan hung herself. In her suicide note she accused her boyfriend for her suicide. The mind has the nature of fabricating stories such as nobody loves me. I am cheated. I am not good enough. These phrases seem so real that a person may succumb to self harm.

Robin Williams- Famous actor and comedian Robin Williams was born on July 21, 1951, in Chicago. While his career was taking off, Williams faced many personal challenges. The actor was battling depression and anxiety and had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He developed a drug and alcohol problem and would struggle with addiction for more than two decades. He also became involved in several unstable relationships. On August 11, 2014, the 63-year-old comedian was found dead in his California home due to hanging.

Guru Dutt- Guru Dutt had got involved with Waheeda Rehman and his wife Geeta Dutt had separated from him as a result. Rehman too had distanced herself from him. Also, Dutt, an ambitious person, felt he had achieved too much too soon professionally–there was nothing better to be achieved, and this caused a vacuum in his life. Unable to cope with all the trauma and emptiness, he took to heavy drinking. On 10 October 1964, Dutt was found dead in his bed. The cause of death was deemed a combination of alcohol and sleeping pills. Geeta Dutt suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of his death and also took to alcohol, eventually drinking herself to death, dying in 1972 as a result of cirrhosis of the liver.

SOLUTION: PROJECT HAPPINESS- WAYS TO ACHIEVE IT 

1. Well balanced diet, good sleep, regular exercise such as gym, aerobics and yoga are very important factors for a happy life. Avoid aerated cold drinks during the depression.
2. Do not brood over your thoughts. Get up and do some work. Once a man was feeling very depressed with his life. So he called up his doctor and told him about his mental condition. The Doctor said, “where are you at the moment?” He said, “I am at my flat”. Doctor asked, “your flat is at which floor and what do you see around?” He said, “I am at the 7^th floor and there is a lot of bad smelling garbage at my side. Doctor said, “Ok, so do one thing. Clean up the garbage, collect it in a bag, go down through the staircase and throw it in the dustbin kept at the ground floor. Then come back to your flat through the staircase itself”. The patient followed the doctor’s advice and then called him up again. The doctor asked, “how do you feel now?” To the patient’s surprise he felt far better than before. What must have happened in the above situation? The Spiritual Master says, “The man who follows the path of Karmyog receives happiness. The man’s selfless action was for the welfare of the society and not just for himself. This gave him happiness. Physical exercise leads to the release of a hormone named ‘serotonin’ which makes us feel happy”.
3. Be more with nature. Use less of electronic gadgets.
4. Getting addicted to medicines is not a permanent solution. Adopt alternative therapies such as homeopathy, Ayurveda, bach flower remedies, yoga, Pranayam and aerobics.
5. Express your emotions do not hide or suppress them. It is ok to feel what you feel. If you are getting angry at someone learn to say your point in a balanced way. Do not be a hypocrite.
6. Failures in life are stepping stones to success. They are not to break you but make you. One should not fall weak and succumb to failures, but make them stepping stones. Difficulties help us to grow. When we get up in the morning, we have two choices- either to be happy or to be sad. Make happiness your habit. Mann ka tap hai prasann rehna.
7. Happiness is inside not outside. We are searching for happiness outside in worldly possessions, people and situations. But the truth is: we ourselves are ocean of love. Love yourself, Love God.
8. Happiness is a byproduct of giving happiness. Helping someone brings us greater joy than buying something for our own self.
9. Connection with the Supreme. One should join a spiritual congregation which helps us overcome the negative mind thoughts and constantly inculcates in us positive thinking. A true Spiritual Master connects us to the Almighty. God, Guru Bhagwan is every one’s greatest support system. Under the guidance of a Spiritual Master, Name chanting is a very powerful method to get over the stresses of life.
10. Forgive and forget. Do not hover on the old hurts. Resentments, criticism, blaming and complaining are the main causes of depression. Learn to ignore old hurts and things which were not according to you.
11. Expectations reduce joy in life. When expectations from the other person are not fulfilled, then we feel incomplete, unloved, irritable and angry.
12. Do not confine your love to only one person. Learn to live for the benefit of all. Be creatively busy; be useful for your society, for your country.
13. The 3 A’s of Happiness are – Acceptance, Appreciation and Achievement.
14. Adopt a life of ‘Simple living and high thinking’.
15. Training from childhood. Nowadays, the main emphasis in schools is on Talent + Academics, but in fact it should be Talent + Academics + Life skills, where Life Skills tell us how to deal problems of daily life. If we do not teach our children the most important component for their happiness and development, i.e. Life skill, it results in problems like anxiety, depression and even suicide attempts.
16. Parents should not expect too much from their children. This builds up a parent pressure, which leads to depression in children.

In a survey, among adolescents aged 13-19 in 2012, 45% teenagers with symptoms of depression reported using alcohol or drugs to deal with their feelings.

GURU BHAGWAN KE ANANT ANANT SHUKRANE HAIN!