I love meditation. It is good for a lot of things. Like getting rid of daily stress. And stopping you from passing judgement on other people, from beating up of oneself, and from worrying too much about the future.
However, it does not easily heal a person who has a tendency to be depressed (like myself). Meditation helps you accept depression as a natural and passing emotion. But it does not prevent these emotions from coming back, unless you change your patterns / rituals.
After a lot of trial and error, I discovered other "tools" / rituals that were finally making a permanent difference in the way I feel (and therefore in my quality of life). And this is my recipe for it:
Physiology:
1) Hard physical exercise first thing in the morning
2) Eating healthy
3) Taking notice and adjusting my physiology: walking with head up straight, taking very deep breaths, and with a slight smile on my face.
Focus:
1) On my way to work - thinking about what I am grateful for in my life (including for all the mistakes that I have made)
2) Doing incantations when I walk (watch Tony Robbins YouTube videos on incantations to pick up some good examples for chanting)
3) "Feeding my mind" (watching videos by thought leaders and life coaches every morning before work)
4) Calling at least one friend (or a family member) I haven't talked to in a long time over lunch
5) Having at least 30 minutes each day to connect to yourself (e.g. playing music, dancing, or simply thinking about what I truly want in life and imagining myself actually living that life already)
6) Generosity / love. Just doing a small thing to help someone (even a stranger on the street, a friend, or a loved one)
Progress:
1) I challenge myself to make progress in each of these areas above every day. And therefore when I go to sleep or when I wake up, I feel excited about the prospect of making progress the next day.
However, it does not easily heal a person who has a tendency to be depressed (like myself). Meditation helps you accept depression as a natural and passing emotion. But it does not prevent these emotions from coming back, unless you change your patterns / rituals.
After a lot of trial and error, I discovered other "tools" / rituals that were finally making a permanent difference in the way I feel (and therefore in my quality of life). And this is my recipe for it:
Physiology:
1) Hard physical exercise first thing in the morning
2) Eating healthy
3) Taking notice and adjusting my physiology: walking with head up straight, taking very deep breaths, and with a slight smile on my face.
Focus:
1) On my way to work - thinking about what I am grateful for in my life (including for all the mistakes that I have made)
2) Doing incantations when I walk (watch Tony Robbins YouTube videos on incantations to pick up some good examples for chanting)
3) "Feeding my mind" (watching videos by thought leaders and life coaches every morning before work)
4) Calling at least one friend (or a family member) I haven't talked to in a long time over lunch
5) Having at least 30 minutes each day to connect to yourself (e.g. playing music, dancing, or simply thinking about what I truly want in life and imagining myself actually living that life already)
6) Generosity / love. Just doing a small thing to help someone (even a stranger on the street, a friend, or a loved one)
Progress:
1) I challenge myself to make progress in each of these areas above every day. And therefore when I go to sleep or when I wake up, I feel excited about the prospect of making progress the next day.
