How to follow devotion to get rid of depression and Psychological issues?
A girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna Prabhuji. PAMHO. I have a very peculiar yet serious problem. I have extreme laziness and depression issues since the past 15 years. I tried many solutions, nothing helps. It’s going worse by the day maybe due to lack of mind control. I’ve always surrendered my life to Krishna and beg him to help me come out of this. But why is it that nothing helps? I’m suffering a lot. Is it my karma? What should I do? My family is suffering because of this too. Please help.”
REPLY:
You say that you followed devotion and you did not get any relief from devotion.
Following devotional life does not mean FINISHING THE CHANTING ROUNDS FAST and then involving in all the materialistic activities.
(32 WAYS OF HOW NOT TO CHANT! READ HERE!)
Following devotional life means BECOMING A DEVOTEE WHO IS DEPENDING ONLY ON KRISHNA.
Becoming a devotee means, Preferring only Krishna in life and performing assigned duties just as a duty.
ADVANCING IN DEVOTION means losing our interest in material status and Pleasures.
Let us now see Right way of following devotion to get rid of depression:
(1) ENTRUST YOURSELF TO KRISHNA!
The advanced stage of devotion is to entrust ourselves to Krishna and See Krishna in everyone and everything of His creations.
In the mean time, we can pray to Krishna to keep us in His hands and help us to cross the reactions of karma successfully.
However, when we have no material desires but have only Krishna as our target, karmic reactions have no place to exist. They will cease to exist.
(What to do if our Prayers are not answered by Krishna? READ HERE!)
We need not ask Krishna anything because He knows our needs. However, a devotee can’t think any other person except Krishna whenever he is in a testing situation. Therefore, though we need not ask anything from Krishna, since He is our only asylum, we can pray for some big prayers if we find the pains very difficult to bear. Not wrong.
Remember Krishna both in happiness and distress. This is the balanced approach.
But, asking Krishna for delaying the bus or train because of your delay to come to the bus station (or) to cure your today’s headache are too much.
Krishna is the BIGGEST PERSON. So, ask for big boons from Krishna to get His mercy. Ask for Himself and an opportunity to serve Him in His kingdom. Ask for His protection from this powerful material nature. Ask His mercy in making your life suitable to follow devotion more comfortably. Thus, ask anything related to our devotional growth.
Such a balanced mind helps to follow devotion to get rid of depression and Psychological issues. Depression comes only when we feel that we have no protection. But, if we surrender to the Lord and depend on Him for all our needs, we need not fall in the depression of mind.
(PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES WHILE FIGHTING BETWEEN DEVOTION AND MATERIAL LIFE – A CASE STUDY! READ HERE!)
(2) DO NOT EXPECT ONLY A PARTICULAR RESULT
This is also a cause for depression. Krishna Himself says that expectation and attachment is the cause for one’s fall down in his life.
If you expect only POSITIVES in your life, you will end up in disappointment some times.
How is it possible to expect only Positives in our life?
Our life is controlled by our karma account and every turn of events happens as fixed by our karma, ie, based on our activities recorded from our previous births.
So, we should have a maturity to convince ourselves that we alone are the cause for all our happiness and miseries.
Instead of taking so, we are blaming others for all our miseries. We also develop Self pity.
Pray like this to Krishna in any problematic situation:
“Krishna! I know that I alone am the cause for my present problems. I only smoked and invited this heart attack. I only have to bear this pain. However, now, I have realized my mistake. So, please give me another chance to lead a disciplined life. I will lead a very responsible life.”
This is a genuine prayer. Accepting our mistakes, resolving to avoid such mistakes in future and praying for betterment is good. If possible, Krishna too will consider giving you another chance to lead a peaceful life appreciating your reformation.
In general, once you realize your past mistakes, that moment is considered as your new birth. So, your problems will automatically reduce once you start to feel for the past mistakes and resolve not to repeat them.
Krishna too does not hesitate to do good for a devotee who resolves to lead a disciplined and devotional life. He expects only our reformation. Not money, offerings, etc.
(Family Problems and Depression demotivating the devotees! Solutions! READ HERE!)
Thus, you should avoid expecting only positives in life that makes you depressed. You should be ready to face any event as the result of our past karma.
Above all, there is no negatives in this world. Everything happens for a good reason. Every problem or so called negative happens to correct us and to teach us the way of life and to make us matured.
Such a matured mindset makes a matured devotee.
Follow chanting as much as possible, but to your level best. Do not fix impossible targets. Don’t get depressed in case you are unable to chant sufficiently on any day. It is not a crime. Just a few pending rounds. Compensate it on a day in which you have more time.
Try your best to take only the prasadam. In case you happen to take from outside on any day because of unavoidable situation, do not feel guilt and eat that food after praying to Krishna.
In case you are unable to go to the temple on any Sunday, do not get tensed as if you missed Krishna Himself by missing that Sunday. Go on the next Sunday and take part eagerly.
Thus, NOT TAKING EVERYTHING SERIOUSLY WILL HELP YOU TO AVOID DEPRESSION.
Take the happenings as the reactions of karma. Depend on Krishna for all your needs and believe that He is doing only good for you though you face pains in life.
Never feel lonely because Krishna is within yourself. Just develop a great relationship with Krishna. You will get enormous strength.
This is the mindset of a matured devotee. Only if you follow such a maturity, you can escape from depression.
Now evaluate yourself: Were you following such a matured mindset and devotion?
If yes, it is the right way of devotion to get rid of depression.
(How to deal with the Fall Down & Depression due to Offensive Past Life? READ HERE!)