Dealing with Depression

by Colleen Canney - Career, Life, and Wellness Coach

Let the Spirit Move You!

Tonight while dancing around my condo listening to 50 Cent, I thought about the correlation between happiness and spirit. The reason these thoughts came up is because when I am dancing, I feel such a powerful connection with my true spirit. Listening to music for me is equivalent to being injected with a few cans of Red Bull. I am full of energy, uninhibited, expressive, and completely free. As the music plays, my spirit soars higher and higher.

There was a time however when my spirit stopped soaring because I became disconnected from it. As a result I became quite depressed and turned into a different person. My “Great Depression” started shortly after graduating from college and it lasted for three long years. I went to one doctor after another complaining of nagging fatigue. Finally one doctor said, “Do you think you may be depressed?” I looked at her in disbelief, wondering how she could ask me such a preposterous question. Me? Depressed? No, it couldn’t be. For most of my life I had been a happy, free spirited individual who had a zest for life.

What I didn’t realize though, due to being in a sleepwalking state, was that somehow I became disconnected from my true spirit. I lost my desire to run. I stopped writing, which was my creative outlet to my soul. I no longer listened to my favorite rap and hip hop music. I became apathetic towards life. Overall it was just a dark period for me.

During my “Great Depression,” I was in a relationship that just wasn't working. My ex and I were not compatible on a number of different levels, but due to being in a sleepwalking state, there was an absence of clarity on my part. Finally at the age of 25 I was abruptly woken up after a significant event occurred. It was though someone poured ice cold water over my sleeping body and I went into a state of shock. When I finally opened my eyes, there was a period of grogginess, as though I had been hungover from three years of being in a drunken state of oblivion.

As the caffeine of life increased my level of alertness, my relationship with my ex ended with his parting words being, "Now is the time for you to become the woman you are meant to be!" I began the gradual process of reconnecting with my spirit. Finding my true spirit again was akin to rekindling a friendship with a long lost best friend from childhood. I realized how much I missed my true spirit and was so grateful to have reclaimed it.

All of a sudden my energy returned. I started running again. I went out dancing with friends and allowed each beat of the music to infuse my body with a fresh supply of oxygen. I felt ALIVE again and boy did it feel amazing! I made a vow to never again become disconnected with my true spirit.

I have encountered so many people that are figuratively speaking (and maybe literally speaking as well), medicated on sleeping pills. They look drained, lifeless, and hollow. The sparkle is missing from their eyes. They drag their feet instead of walking with a sense of purpose. They are constantly tired instead of being high on life. My heart goes out to these people because I know what it’s like to lose your spirit. I know what it’s like to wonder what happened to your passion for life. I know what it’s like to lack joy in life.

If you find yourself feeling listless, apathetic, unmotivated, and lethargic, check on your connection with your true spirit. Ask yourself, “Do I feel passionate about life?” If the answer is no, you more than likely have become disconnected with your true spirit. This is the spirit that causes you to wake-up everyday and think, “Good Morning World! I feel so grateful to be alive!”

When you become disconnected with your true spirit you sleepwalk through life. You are numb, unaware, and have cloud-covered goggles on. You are not moving forward, growing, or evolving. It’s as though you have become stuck in quicksand and you keep sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. So the question is, “How does one wake-up?” The answer: You have to be ready to wake-up! When you are ready, you take responsibility for getting out of the quicksand and you start moving forward on the path of life.

Email Colleen Canney

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