PART 4: DEPRESSION AND ANGER
(Continued from Depression: Beyond The Veil And Into The Cave)
We tend to not want to go inward, because we fear change. But depression is a signal from our soul that we need to go deeper and listen to our soul speak.
Depression is often understood as a symptom of unexpressed anger that we have directed towards our self. Perhaps paralyzed by the fear of disapproval or upsetting the status quo, our anger becomes thwarted and muted. Unsure what to do with the feelings we have, we stuff them down so that they become inwardly directed.
Just because we do not act on our feelings of anger does not mean they will go away. Our emotions are like a river that must flow. Turning our attention away from the river does not stop it from flowing. It just may mean that our unattended emotions flow in directions that are not healthy for us or for others.
We likely have all been on the receiving end of those who cannot control their anger and blow up into a fury. That does not feel good. Nor does it feel good to sit on anger and let it brew, like a lead weight that pulls at our very core.
Anger is an active energy. If we are afraid to stand up for ourselves, say how we feel or actively support our soul voice, we tend to sit on the anger and we become depressed. We soon find ourselves listless, lethargic, grumpy and complaining. All that extroverted anger energy has just imploded. We have directed it towards ourselves. That is why for depression some external activities like exercise can be useful. It helps to move the stuck energy within. But external activities alone are not enough. We must balance external activities with internal awareness.
The heaviness of depression is a signal that we need to go in and explore what we are really feeling. When we go within the cave of depression, we can find out what in actually going on. We learn to listen to the anger and honour its voice. Anger, itself, is not bad. It signals that we feel something is not in balance. Maybe our perception of what balance means needs to change. Maybe we need to take charge and make changes to honour our sense of balance. When we go into the cave of depression and inquire, our inner voice will let us know what we need to reengage our life and find our brightness and lightness of being.
If you feel anger may be something you wish to explore at more length, I wrote a full series of blog entries on the subject "Anger As An Ally".
(Continues tomorrow with The Power Of Perception And Core Beliefs)
I have experienced the suffering and anxiety that comes from resisting some feeling within. It can be frightening sometimes to allow these feelings to be seen and understood when the habitual constriction is "I don't want to go there! Anywhere but there!" But the truth is, the more we resist, the more we hurt, whether it manifests as increasing anxiety or deeper depression.
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