There are two kinds of depression that are commonly talked about: biologically based depression and reactive depression.
Biological depression gets passed down through genes and is best treated with a combination of medication and short-term therapy. If you think this fits for you, check your family history to see if depression slips in and out of your tree.
Reactive depression is usually brought on by a significant change in life – death of a loved one, divorce, kids heading off to college, retirement, a serious car accident, economic instability, and so on. When reactive depression lasts for an extended period of time and interferes with life, then it starts to edge into the territory of denial and depression.
To treat with reactive depression, the task at hand is usually to process the life change to redirect the energy in an empowering & meaningful way. This requires personal awareness, psychological honesty, emotional integrity, and {sometimes} the guidance of a therapist.
I believe there is a third type of depression that is pervasive and rarely talked about.
It’s so common, and sometimes so subtle, that most people who suffer from it don’t even know they have it.
It entails a general blah feeling, difficulty feeling happy, lackluster feelings about life, waking up feeling like it’s time to tackle another difficult day.
My personal belief is that this state originates from a battle between the life the true self {or soul} wants to live and the life the ego is living.
It’s the soul that feeds our energy, and if it is dissatisfied for long enough, it will begin to cut off the flow.
I see this as the soul’s call for a life with more purpose and meaning.
The way out of it is to go through every day asking, “What does my soul want?”
Then take action.
Do what your soul guides you to do.