Depression and enduring extreme difficulties are a natural and normal fact of life that most of us will deal with, either continuously, or at some point.
This is a very serious condition.
It is an illness that can easily lead to death, when allowed to remain untreated.
We live in a fast paced, fast food, fast business, and high stress society.
Each new generation faces ever increasing sensory overload.
It is no wonder that people are born with brain chemistry imbalances or a predisposition for depression.
There are trained medical and mental health professionals that can absolutely help! If you have a loved one or a friend that is suffering, it is your responsibility to try to get that person to take action for help.
And, if your urging is ineffective, you should take action on their behalf.
Some people who are suffering depression or are having difficulty will reach out for help, while others (perhaps the majority) will not, for whatever reason.
The most common reasons for not seeking help are pride, privacy, vanity, anger, private grief, or the feeling that nobody will - or can - understand or help.
Once again, if you know someone that needs help, it is your responsibility to act on their behalf if they do not do it themselves.
Anyone who claims to have your personal answers is not being totally truthful.
We are all - each of us - different, and therefore experience different sets of challenges.
What works for one may or may not work for another.
Again, this is normal and natural.
There are, however, 3 actions that work in treating this illness! 1) Immediate Medical Treatment! The first action that must be taken is medication to treat the urgent issue of bio-chemistry imbalance.
Modern medicine now has great insight into brain chemistry, and in many cases prescription drugs can return that neuro-chemistry to a proper balance.
2) Counseling! My advice is to seek the assistance of a trained mental health professional.
A word of caution here is appropriate.
Finding the right counselor is like shopping for clothing: you have to find a garment that fits your body and your style.
The same is true in finding a counselor.
It has been my personal experience that there are many ineffective mental health "professionals", so shop around for the right fit.
3) Abundant Life Coaching! Finally, it is time to start down an entirely different path! A new road to happiness, success, and abundance across the board in all aspect of life! Certainly there are many options in all three of these "actions" that I suggest for treatment, and yet my feeling is that the hiring of a "life coach" is where we must be the most careful.
All of these coaches are not licensed to be a life coach; there is literally no such license in existence.
The life coaching field is not regulated, whereas medicine (both physical and psychological) is very much governed! In another article I will discuss in detail my suggestions as to what to look for in a life coach, and how this person is different than any professional counselor.
For now, however, I will offer a brief guideline.
Watch out for glitzy, commercialized life coaches and programs.
One size does not fit all.
Look for a very personalized coach that is a great listener, and who has a real and structured plan of action that makes good common sense.
A great life coach will help you define what is important to you and place you on the proper pathway to achieving goals that are in line with your motives.
Further, a great life coach will help you develop a sensible plan that exceeds your goals and he or she should show you the steps to take that will assist in maintaining abundance, remaining motivated throughout the rest of life.
In conclusion, depression and extreme difficulty are completely normal and yet must be treated immediately.
It is our humane responsibility to take action on behalf of those who cannot do it by themselves.
And finally, we must take the 3 actions (above) that I have suggested in order to treat the cause and not simply the symptoms! Here's to an Abundant Life for you and yours