71. Bouncing Back

Recently, I was asked ‘what causes depression?” I think that amongst many reasons, one of them is the underlying sense of hopelessness and helplessness which arises when we feel that we have no control over our circumstances. Sadly, this feeling of anxiety has become very common for vast numbers of people. One of its causes, which is the global conflict and its impact on local communities, has brought new meaning to the phrase, ‘what hurts one, hurts all’. This principle could also be viewed in a positive light…by healing ourselves, we may help to heal others. 

Generally in life, when we have put in extra effort to attain the result we are after and it eludes us, disappointment is inevitable. However, how quickly we can recover from a setback, is dependent on the state of our mental wellbeing. If we consciously put ourselves under the spotlight and take an unbiased look at what we see, it becomes possible to notice when and what causes us to get upset. The mind and body are one entity, therefore the health of one part affects the other.  When we establish a daily healthy diet and balanced lifestyle, we can retain our equilibrium more easily. What used to take me two days to bounce back from a frustrating incident, now takes less than two hours to do! I consider this as significant progress. 

Our ultimate power lies within us. We cannot control what life throws at us, only how we choose to respond to it. I am discovering that by trying to experience a situation from an objective view point, tends to diffuse any anxiety.  Becoming a witness of our own reaction can reveal some very interesting observations of ourselves. Surprisingly, I am finding that I am a far more interesting subject to focus on, rather than the drama that surrounds me!