How to make peace with depression.

The Make Peace with Stress method transforms every challenge into a catalyst for growth—even depression.

Learn how to apply this simple method. N.O.W. is an acronym:

N is NOTICE—step 1 is noticing your experience.

O is OPEN—step 2 is to open to the opportunity for growth.

W is WELCOME—step 3 is welcoming what you want.

NOTICE.

From the perspective of yoga therapy, the simplest way to describe depression is predominant downward energy. This is a quality as well as a direction and includes heaviness, inertia, dullness, and ignorance (meaning not known, not a judgment). Excess downward energy can be short-term or chronic but constantly changes.

NOTICE this: Your physical posture plays a big role in your state of mind. Slouching, rounding shoulders, and a sinking chest actually promote downward energy. Try holding tennis balls in the armpits. Your chest will broaden and your breathing deepen, which will have an immediate positive effect on your physiological and mental state.

OPEN.

Karla McLaren, the author of The Language of Emotions, calls situation depression the brilliant stop sign of the soul. While it might feel overwhelming, episodes of predominant downward energy occur to protect and force us into self-reflection so that we can discover the imbalance, block, disconnect, unmet need, etc.

OPEN to this: Because depression drains your energy, gratitude is a great way to slow the leak, so to speak. Appreciating depression as the alert that it is, will begin to restore your vitality so that you can explore what needs to be healed within you. Try writing a letter as if thanking a friend for making you aware of an important issue.

WELCOME.

Being able to witness the experience of depression, to view it with nonjudgmental awareness, and to be present with whatever arises, allows you to tap into your intuition and be able to see beyond the depressed state. Then you can distinguish between what is changing (emotions) and what is unchanging (your true nature).

WELCOME this: Hands down I recommend Yoga Nidra as the simplest and most effective way to connect with your ability to witness your experience. This is a practice of guided meditation with many, many benefits. Try this short and lovely one offered by Elena Mironov on YouTube.