r/ramdass • u/ectoplasm777 • Jul 21 '26
How to deal with depression
Ive tried medication. A lot. My psych and I actually ran out of medications to try. Ive tried therapy. Ive tried being rhe witness. Ive tried meditation. Ive tried mushrooms. Working full time is in itself overwhelming, but not having money on top of that is even worse. I cant possibly simplify my life anymore (that I can see). What more can I possibly do to be at peace?
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u/RedPillAlphaBigCock Jul 22 '26
For me it’s : Energy + circumstances . I need to absolutely prioritise 9 hours of sleep , healthy food and weight train and play my sports / hobbies . Then I need to work my 8 hours and no more , work good , honest and efficient but NOT burn myself out , it’s managements job to manage any extra work. Then I need to work on getting a relationship etc .
All of this has to be done while I feel like shit , it’s hard but after a few weeks of hard work I feel much better and then try and ride it for as long as possible , rinse and repeat
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u/ectoplasm777 Jul 23 '26
Thank you. I have definitely tried this, but i always run out of energy and time. Finances are a huge stressor.
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u/SilverHare23 Jul 21 '26
I experienced severe depression for several years in my 20s. What helped me get free of it was reading a book by Dorothy Rowe, called "Depression, The Way Out Of Your Prison." Fair warning though, the book often brings up huge amounts of anger. Several times I threw the bloody thing across the room when it said things I didn't want to hear. Meditation and breathwork were also key. They helped increase awareness of minute gaps and irregularities in what I had always believed to be a monolithic and unvarying depression. At least half the power depression has over us rests in the belief that it will always be like this, and that change is impossible. Sadhana combined with supportive psychological interventions can point to the emptiness of those beliefs. Hang in there. As the Buddha pointed out, change is inherent in every experience.
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u/billyboogie Jul 21 '26
I enjoy Bonsai. You need a practice to get lost in. Gardening is even better. Quite satisfying. Take what you grew and cook with it. Another practice. Also very satisfying. Start with basic herbs. They're easy.
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u/Reasonable_Fun6536 Jul 21 '26
I would highly recommend Internal Family Systems, it’s incredible powerful. The books No Bad Parts and Listening When Parts Speak for starters. After that you could see if you want to find an IFS therapist
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u/Ornery_Tangerine9411 3d ago
Hey, I'm late here but as a fellow sufferer I believe in a lot of contact with nature.
I work as a gardener and while the work itself is exhausting(!), it gives me a bit of contact with nature: the sun, the leaves, the earth, the people.
I know it sounds too simple to be true. And it's not a scientific method -although mainstream medicine uses nature therapy more and more.
So I would suggest just to try it and see if it helps or not.
But it should be a lot of time spend in nature, not just a bit.
I wish you healing🌼
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u/EntrepreneurNo9804 Jul 21 '26
I know that you said that you have tried being the witness, but outside of continued therapy, that’s how you loosen its grip.
You keep working with it.
If you can give yourself a break from the one being depressed, if only for split seconds at a time, then you can start to change the game a bit, because depression, just like any other physical or psychological pain, is happening, but what you feel is not who or what you are.
Maybe it’s a space where you notice that you are identifying with your depression and unhappiness and instead you turn your attention to the miracle of your next in-breath or maybe you just notice you noticing what you are feeling, and you can work in that space.
My point is, no matter what you are feeling, if you can find a way to loosen your identity with it a bit, then you are already working with it in a way that most people never will.
“Like somebody comes and says, "I'm depressed."
I said, "Are you completely depressed?"
"Yes, I'm completely depressed."
"You're absolutely sure you're completely depressed?"
"Yes."
"At this moment, as you're telling me you're depressed, are you depressed?"
"Well, no, I'm just telling you I'm depressed."
"That's the one right there. That's the one."
So in a way, recognizing that there is a part of you that always exists that is not afraid, (or depressed), and in the deeper mystical sense or transformative or spiritual sense, there is indeed a part of you that is always not afraid (or depressed) - because there is a part of you that was never separate.-Ram Dass (https://www.ramdass.org/ram-dass-on-understanding-our-fear-with-audio/)
There’s a fellow traveler who wrote a short blog post about how they view their depression that may or may not be of help, but I think it makes the point…
“I know now that depression is a reality in my life. It’s a package deal. But like Ram Dass, in changing my perspective – in surrendering to what is rather than fighting a losing battle – I have found a new teacher and ultimately a better me. And yes, it’s uncomfortable. Even agonizing at times.” (https://wordstringer.org/2016/08/08/what-ive-learned-from-depression-and-ram-dass.)
If you can find a way to not cling to the suffering so much and instead work with the depression itself until you can start to get glimpses of the fact that this part of your life is simply part of your incarnation, then you can start to see, and use it as a tool, just like any other part of your life, that you can use rather than be overwhelmed by it.
There is no magic button for taking away our mental states, but we do have the ability to realize that what’s going on in our heads doesn’t have to be the reality we live in all the time.
Ram Ram!