We have all experienced loss – loss of loved ones, jobs, dreams, relationships, health, and so on. Sadness is a part of every single life, a normal response to a wound that will eventually heal and the price we pay for love.
Western culture promotes the message that sadness is a weakness to be shunned at all costs. Many people plan their lives to avoid uncomfortable or difficult feelings. When the sadness comes – as it inevitably does – they deny it, hide it or numb it with alcohol, drugs or busyness.
But pain can become your best friend – if you embrace it. Pain can give you greater empathy for others who are suffering. It can enrich your relationships when you reach out for help and support. And when the wound heals, you will be a stronger, wiser, and more caring person.
Pain can also make you hard and bitter. Wounds that never heal distort your view of the world, of yourself and others. They can harm your relationships and affect your physical, mental and emotional.
What can you do to enhance healing and transformation? First, you must identify the source of pain. Some wounds need little more than time and prayer to heal.Other wounds are symptoms of deeper issues that require a more comprehensive healing approach.
What causes situational depression?
Negative life events
Typical life events and changes that precipitate depressed mood include financial difficulties, job loss, relationship troubles, mid-life transition, divorce, and bereavement. Common stressors for children include abuse, physical or emotional neglect, divorce, and the loss of a parent.
Grief
After losing a loved one, depressed moods are typically more severe and long-lasting than other life events, especially when the death was sudden and tragic or the loved one was young. Grief takes a terrible toll on the mind and body; the symptoms can mimic those of major depressive disorder. In rare cases, bereavement leads to potentially dangerous symptoms, including suicidal tendencies. Anyone with suicidal thoughts needs immediate medical intervention.
Childhood trauma
Situational depression in adults may be rooted in unresolved emotional pain from childhood, such as sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
SITUATIONAL DEPRESSION HEALING STRATEGIES
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Situational depression healing strategies
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