Sorrow is not depression. Discouragement is not depression. Depression is not a mere mood. Depression is NOT a psychological disorder, but rather a physiological disorder with psychological symptoms. For when the appropriate antidote is applied the symptoms of depression rapidly fade without any “talk” therapy.
In this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xbNNxQZEgA we learn that the loss of energy and motivation that is a hallmark of depression is also present during illness. For such alterations is behavior is evolutionarily advantages FIRST to protect others from our pathogens and SECOND to give our body and brain a rest that it might more effectively marshal its waning resources.
Those suffering from depression present with systemic inflammation just as those suffering from the flu. Reverse the systemic inflammation and the symptom-set we label as “depression” vanishes.
What are the lifestyle choices that mitigate inflammation? Sufficient rest, sleep, fresh air, sunshine, exercise, a the consumption of the whole food vegan diet for which our ancestors have evolved over the last three hundred thousand years. And yes, and effective daily practice of the Buddha’s contemplations and meditations could also help, but they are no substitute for meeting our bodies’ physical needs.
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