Technique to Get Rid of Depression & Sadness

Depression and sadness drain our energy and motivation leaving us limp and listless. When you think about living a “business lifestyle,” doubtless you envision happiness, excitement, and energy. Yet, even the most upbeat person is going to experience the troughs of life because life flows in cycles like a wave. One of those troughs hit me unexpectedly the other day when I was on my way to a meeting. Here’s a contemplation or meditation technique to get rid of depression & sadness when it threatens to put a damper on your day.

The interesting thing about normal cycles of depression and sadness, as opposed to serious clinical depression or medical conditions that require a doctor’s care, is that they can spring from one big event or just from a multitude of little things that gang up on you. Sometimes this negative mood can hit you as a result of a guilt trip for something you said or did… or something you failed to do. You can beat yourself up over “should a’s” as in, “I should have…”

The problem with allowing yourself to wallow in this wave of negativity is that not only does it take you away from living a healthy, happy lifestyle, business or otherwise, it also destroys your ability to be productive. Your energy drains away as you feel miserable.

One pill-less solution to normal attacks of depression or sadness is a visualization technique you can do in a few minutes even while doing other things that don’t require concentrating on what you are doing.

Getting Rid of Depression & Sadness Visualization 

Imagine a vat, like they have in breweries or even like a tanker truck for milk or other liquids.

“See” a spigot at the bottom that you can open to drain the vat.

Depending on how depressed you feel or how much sadness is overwhelming you, you may want to visualize more than one vat. (I recently “saw” three of them.)

Sense that the vats are filled with your feelings of depression and/or sadness.

Imagine opening the spigot and seeing the liquid depression/sadness draining into a river of pure sound and light that carries those negative feelings away while the purity of the energy in that river cleanses the negativity.

Now “pour” love and gratitude into the top of the vat(s). The weight of the love and gratitude push the rest of your nasty feelings out of the vat(s) and fill it with positive energy.

Once the depression and sadness are fully drained, you can close the spigots to retain the love and gratitude.

Refinements to this technique

You can listen to uplifting sound, songs, or instrumental music while you do this visualization.

• Sing “HU” (pronounced “hue”)– it is a love song to God; you can substitute any spiritual word or sound that has meaning for you, like Om or Amen.)

A recording is available at TheSoundofSoul.org or listen to a CD of this sound being chanted.

• Listen to fun, lively music – two of my favorites are “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” and “Percolator.”
• Listen to upbeat instrumental music.

Additional notes about this visualization technique

• You can use it to remove any negative emotion, such as anger.
• To feel the love and gratitude you pour into the vat, you think about someone or something you love dearly.

A spouse, a parent or grandparent, a special friend, a beloved pet, or even a setting that filled you with joy, like a gorgeous sunset or a beautiful park setting that touched you. I have a setting at the Huntington Library’s garden that is special for me.

• Avoid candy and other sweets if trying to overcome depression as some authorities claim that sugar can cause depression.
• Be leery of bars and alcohol when trying to overcome a negative mood.

A lot of people think of bars as stimulating and exciting, but the maudlin drunk is a common image in our culture. And, if your depression was sparked by something you said, it is even more likely that when you get drunk you will say even more that embarrasses you or gives you reasons to feel badly about yourself.

• Be aware of what you are reading and watching for entertainment as these things can affect your mood.

Interestingly, just before I got close to being overwhelmed by mild depression and sadness, I had started reading a new novel about a police officer who had just been put on extended leave (he took it as being fired) for his anger issues. It was a depressing story.

• Keep a journal of things you’ve done well or compliments you’ve received or awards or other recognitions.

Everyone makes mistakes, misses a great opportunity they later regret, or say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Events like this can put you into a bout of depression. You may even want to retreat to your bedroom, lock the door, and never come out. You feel too embarrassed to ever face the world again. At times like this, reviewing your journal or file of personal achievements may help lift you out of the emotional hole you fell into.

• Watch a comedy

Pick a favorite, upbeat movie if you are going to use comedy to pick your spirits up. Some comedies, like slapstick and sarcasm, can actually be downers making you more depressed. Last night Dorothy and I watched an Amazon comedy series that left us feeling depressed rather than upbeat.

While these last suggestions aren't imaginative techniques, they are additional tools you can use to reinforce the contemplations, or meditations if you prefer. If you don’t relate to the visualization shared here, create your own. The point of this article is that you are in control and can improve your lifestyle through imagination.

Conclusion

A business lifestyle is after all about your life. It doesn’t begin or end with business. Regardless of whether it was something in your business or something in your personal life that has brought you emotionally low, it leaves you drained and listless. You can regain your excitement and happiness by using visualization techniques to get rid of mild depression and sadness.