In November 2010, Master Ryuho Okawa of Happy Science toured Brazil and gave a series of lectures followed by question and answer sessions to Happy Science believers and the general public. At one of these events, a person in the audience asked the following question:
“Depression is becoming more and more widespread – not only in Brazil, but worldwide. What are spiritual causes of depression? And what can we do to beat it?”
In his reply to this question, Master Okawa also touched on spiritual issues, but this part will be explained elsewhere, in connection with general Happy Science ideas concerning the spirit world. This article focuses on introducing 3 steps against depression that do not require any knowledge on spiritual matters but involve mental healing methods and can be used by anybody.
This method is recommended to anybody suffering from depression, and anybody who, due to problems concerning work, relationships with other people, family issues, school, etc. occasionally enters a state close to depression. Make use of it. Be persistent. Stick with it, and then you will find yourself being successful. (The following text is taken from Master Okawa’s publication “Awakening to the Truth“)
Fighting Depression: Use Your Mind Power
I believe fighting depression is one of the tasks that need to be tackled by religion. Of course medicine can also be effective in fighting depression, but this approach centers mainly on drugs that stabilize the mind and cannot offer a real cure. So how can depression be cured?
Take private power generation as an example. You don’t get power sent to you from a power plant, but you generate your own power at home. Figuratively speaking, this is exactly what you need to do in order to fight depression. It is essential for people with depression to generate power in their own minds and have this power at their disposal.
So how can you generate mind power? How can you make energy abound in your system? How can you make yourself feel happy? How can you find the sparkle you need?
1. Be Grateful Towards Others
The first thing I want to draw your attention to is that people who suffer from depression are not grateful towards others. So first of all, remember that other people are helping you out daily. It is due to the efforts of many others that you are alive here and now. Be grateful. Being grateful will help you discover that you live in abundance. This is point one.
2. Be Conscious that You are a Child of God
The second important point is being conscious of the fact that you are one of God’s children.
I want to encourage you to practice self-reflection, but the danger for those suffering from depression is that they self-reflect in a way that leads to increased self criticism and even deeper depression. So let’s save self-reflection for a little later and remind ourselves of the fact that we are God’s children. You were created by God. You are God’s child. You are blessed with divine light. Once you manage to remember this and hold this truth firmly in your mind, you will re-discover that you are here for a reason. You are precious.
I think the teachings of Christianity is wonderful, and also Catholicism has a lot to offer. But the concept of “original sin” suggests that being human, we are guilty by default. Many Christians internalize this idea so much that they become unable to see the sunny side of life.
Once you change your perspective, you discover that the world is full of wonders. On the highway in Brazil, I saw a lot of garbage at first, but finally the car entered a beautiful, clean stretch of road free of garbage. The question is: do you look at the garbage or do you look at the clean stretch of road ahead? Depending on how you look at it, you will see something completely different. Give it a thought: What are you looking at? If your eyes are constantly directed at the dark side of life, try to look at the bright side. You can do this simply by changing the way you look at things.
Many people think “I am useless. There is not one good thing about me.” This way of thinking is common among depression victims. But if you think about yourself more carefully, this cannot be true. Try to ask others, and you will hear at least five, six good things about yourself. People can see good points in others. But if you make it a habit to hate yourself you will end up having trouble finding anything good about yourself. Knowing your good points is one type of energy you can use to generate your own power.
3. One Small Success After Another
Once you change your perspective it will be like flying on a new orbit. From there, try to achieve one small success after another. Avoid tackling a huge, daunting problem right away. Focus on achieving small things, and build up your confidence. Only once you become confident enough can humble self-reflection about having done things wrong serve the right purpose. I believe this is a crucial step.
Think About Your Many Blessings
Depression is spreading – not only in Brazil but all over the world. We need to remember to be grateful for our many blessings. Some may hate the fact that they were born human. But compared to animals, human beings are incredibly happy. We have a lot more freedom to do things. We should be grateful. Most animals cannot speak. Even if they work, they don’t get paid. Police dogs work but they don’t get a salary. As human beings, if we work, we get paid, even if our salaries are small. In this way, we gain financial freedom. Respect the fact that being human is something to be grateful for.
It is important to change your perspective and recognize just how many blessings you have in your life. Do not waste your precious time abusing drugs or alcohol. Another important point is not to compare yourself with others. There are countless people in the world, superior and inferior in many ways. Once you start thinking about it, there is no end to it.
If seeing somebody more accomplished than yourself makes you think “I’m worthless”, it is time to change this. Instead, look at it this way: if there is somebody who has achieved more in your area of interest, rejoice in this person’s success and praise him or her thinking “I want to be like him!” or “I want to be like her. This person embodies my ideal!” By admiring successful people, you bring yourself much closer to them.In my opinion being able to appreciate the success of others is another important step on the way to beating depression. If you keep thinking “Why did this guy get it, and I didn’t?” you will never dig yourself out of depression. Muster up the courage to praise the successful.