Random Acts Of Kindness – The Best Drug
Depression is a complex problem that has many aspects, too many to address in one simple article. However I think I can provide some helpful insight and practices to help anyone who is suffering from depression.
First, most people who suffer this, after listening to other people, and perhaps doctors have come to the conclusion that their brains are not working properly. We are told that the neurons are not firing because there is a lack of serotonin. So, we begin to blame the condition on a faulty brain. I believe this is only a physical result of another underlying problem. I don’t believe that the brain is not working right simply because there is a biochemical issue.
The body responds to multiple stimulus; imagine eating a lemon and your mouth will water. A man can imagine a hot girl and something on his body can change shape. You can relax your mind, and lower your blood pressure. Obviously the mind affects the body. It does so in a million ways that I have not mentioned. I believe that a depressed person has come into the habit of thinking negatively, perhaps from some trauma, but never the less, they have now assumed a negative state of mind. A continued negative state of mind will certainly affect the brain to behave in the way they have used it.
Thinking negative thoughts, feeling negative emotions affects the body in numerous ways, the least of which would be the chemical balance of the brain. The depressed person says, yes but look at my life you would be depressed too!. I say, yes I probably would! That’s because depressed people tend to create a negative life, negative circumstances and relationships. Now they have an objective reason to be depressed, just look at their life! More than this, I believe the mind using thoughts, creating emotions actually attracts similar experiences to us that are a vibrational match to the way we feel, known as the law of attraction. A depressed thinking person will only be attracting things that validate this negative emotion.
There is one powerful step a depressed person can take to stop this snow ball of negativity rolling down the hill, and create quick and powerful change. The number one law here to live by, is change the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change. Then act on this new philosophy.
The most powerful thing a person can do is to get their mind off themselves by focusing it on other people in a good way. Random acts of kindness… Good deeds…. Mentoring… These activities are very powerful. They are powerful because they invoke strong positive emotion in the one providing these services. You are helping other people who are benefiting, and most importantly you are changing your negative thoughts about self, to positive thoughts about self. The other person feels warm, grateful as a log burning on fire… You feel warm, grateful for having done your random act of kindness as a log burning on a fire. Two logs burning together get very hotter, and more powerful.
This positive energy grows, feels good and begins to train the brain to thing about other things, better things… things that can awaken the brain to begin to secrete the proper chemicals to create well being.
Regardless of how depressed one is, or how despondent, taking action to do a good deed or random act of kindness will be the most powerful action one could take. It completely reverses the depression in that moment, and plants itself in the brain as a seed of well being that will begin to grow. After a few intentional acts of kindness, the brain begins to understand that you now want to think about these better feeling thoughts, and will replace that worn out tape that runs through your head with a new positive feeling tape. The brain does exactly what we train it to do. Like a cat bringing back home a mouse to show off, the brain does the same thing. It brings back, what you train it to think about.
So, in my humble opinion, if you are depressed, I suggest you get up and take some action that will make someone else feel better. That is the quickest and most powerful action you can take, to make YOU feel better!
Tony Hanes