The Pessimism of Depression

Q: "I would like to learn meditation, but I doubt I have the energy to do it. Do you have to meditate in the morning? I can't get up until I absolutely have to, so I couldn't meditate then. Anyway, I've heard that meditation is very hard, so even if it might help me I probably couldn't do it. Besides, my job leaves me so drained that I have no energy for anything for myself. I suppose there's nothing you can recommend to me."

A: I can offer you my thanks for the courage to write and for describing the state of depression that everyone has felt. Some of the people who have found their way out of this condition have used meditation to tap a source of energy and inspiration. One of the four varieties of depression is "The Pessimism," where you feel powerless to effect change, accomplish your desires, or protect yourself from the exploitation of others. One of the characteristics of this depression is the assumption that this is the way life has to be.

Pessimism is not an inborn trait; a lack of energy is the condition that causes pessimism, and pessimism becomes self-defeating. Furthermore, physical conditions alone are ususally not the cause of the lack of energy -- the root of it is in one's heart.

The meditation you need is not just sitting still and being self-aware; you need to use your breath. The conscious breath is a current which moves the energy stream of life. Every inhalation brings energy into you, and a prolonged series of inhalations creates a powerful stream of energy that recharges you. The intervening exhalations send your energy outward into the world. A net benefit can result if you draw in more energy, at a lower level, than you send out.

To draw in more energy, you need a big inhalation. Instead, most people, especially when depressed, exhale forcefully, like in a sigh, and pause after exhaling. Do not pause in the "no-breath" condition, when your lungs are empty, for in that condition you are literally "exhausted." You will likely find that you often stop your breath for a long time before breathing in. That contributes to your depression and is destructive of the things you are trying to accomplish. You can change this self- defeating breath pattern by practicing a simple intervention: breathe out more fully by extending your exhalation for an extra three seconds. If you breathe out completely, you will then have to breathe in immediately. Since your inhalation is starting from a deeper level, you'll get perhaps twice the breath you usually get, and that inhalation will fill you with energy.

By practicing this altered breath pattern for fifteen minutes in the morning, you'll affect your breathing throughout the day, and you'll begin to feel the energy you need to run your life the way you'ld like.

When you feel more optimistic and have more energy, you'll likely find that you want to lose the extra weight that slows you down, or build up a neglected body to the strength that supports what you want to do. As your body becomes healthier, you can breathe more fully, increasing the energy you have. So you can begin an upward spiral toward vibrant health by using meditation to give you the energy to get started.

There are other considerations about self-treatment of The Pessimism which will be addressed in the next column.

By Puran Bair, author of "Living from the Heart" (Random House, 1998)
© 1998 by The Institute for Applied Meditation, Inc.
Send your questions about meditation to: Email IAM.