There are many people who experience brief bouts of depression in their daily lives. There are also people who can’t seem to shake off their depression moods at all. For those people the feelings of depression can become any one of the depression disorders that are medically known about. For depression to manifest itself as a disorder, the signs and symptoms must be present for a period that lasts longer than two to three weeks. There are depression support groups that can help these individuals recover control over their lives.

Did you know that there are a large number of depression support groups in the world? Should you feel that you need some information regarding any groups that are located near your area your doctor or caregiver may have some information that you will find useful. Besides the many organized support groups, your family and friends can also become one of your depression support groups.

The most important thing that depression support groups provide is help. They will encourage you to take one day at a time. They will let you understand that it is quite alright to break your daily large tasks into smaller manageable tasks. To make sure that you do not crack under the strains of the day they will advise you to set reasonable goals for you to accomplish.

With your life taken in small steps the depression support groups can prevent your falling back into depression, because you may feel that you are a failure due to your inability to cope with all of these things.

Many of the depression support groups have help lines that are open right throughout the year. At these places there will be someone who can provide more information about depression in the form of pamphlets and other documentation. The services that they provide are non- judgmental. You can also be assured that any information that you tell them will be kept confidential.

While you may not be sure about talking to total strangers about your problems, the people in these depression support groups are there only to provide you with whatever form of help that you may want. As they have heard the sufferings of other people, these individuals will not force you to snap out of your depression immediately. Instead the members of depression support groups will be there to help you throughout your ordeal.

For a person who suffers from depression having the help and support of depression support groups can prove to be a lifeline their depressed state. The caring and non-judgmental attitudes of depression support groups will reinforce the idea that depression can be cured and that the individual will have their lives back without the depression.

Last week I noticed my brother trying to teach my three year old niece to say “I” – “I would like an apple…, I would like some grapes…” But she insisted that it should be said, “Vaishali wants an apple, Vaishali wants some grapes…!” Have you ever tried arguing with a three year old?

And what is more, she was right. Because right now at the age of three, she has not started to create her identity.

When you are born, you are whole, complete and perfect. Then what happens? The illusions of life begin to shroud your vision of reality as you begin to create your own map of the world. In fact, the creation of the identity occurs because of the basic principle that we are “meaning making machines.” Something happens in our life and we pass the information about the situation through the filters of deletion, distortion and generalization before the information is then represented to our conscious and unconscious mind. So we have added a meaning or further interpretation to what happened, without asking if this is a true representation of the situation.

Between the Ages of 1 to 5 A situation occurs such that you think something is wrong. The meaning that you add to it is ,”I failed to be….” , so you decide to be “X”. This is the first layer of your identity.

Between the Ages of 5 to 15 A situation occurs such that you think that you don’t belong to a particular group. The meaning that you add is, “I am different and I am not meant to be here”, and so you decide to be “Y”, such that you can “fit in”! This is the second layer of your identity.

Beyond the Ages of 15 A situation occurs such that you think you are on your own. The meaning that you add to it is, “I am alone”, and so you decide to be “Z”, such that you can say you are unique and separate from everyone. This is the third layer of your identity.

So in basic maths form, your identity I= X+Y+Z.

Actually you discover that it’s all a great big lie you have been telling yourself. When you walk the path of awareness and spirituality you will come to the point of asking the question “WHO AM I?” because consciously, deep down in your unconscious, and in your higher self, you know that the above formula is not true. Nothing is wrong, everything is perfect and is the way it is. It was just the meaning YOU attached to it.

You do fit in and you are meant to be here, because here you are. You are not alone, in fact you are connected to the infinite energy which is everywhere and everywhen. This energy is conscious and blissful, and this energy is who you are. So you are connected to everyone and everything. The truth is You are still whole and complete and as beautiful as the day you were born, and you are at choice. The choice is you can be whoever you chose to be in each moment. All you have to do is be honest about the “I” and give it up. What would life be like if you were to redefine your own foundation?

Because when you made those decisions you did not have enough life experiences to make the choices that would serve you in the future. You make decisions that will serve you in that instant because you did not know any better and some of those decisions may be holding you back from you experiencing your true nature.

You are the director, creator, editor and actor of your own reality. You are at choice in every moment. SO who do you want to be?

One question I am asked is that with this knowledge, could this whole process be avoided? The answer is no, because of the very way we are designed as meaning making machines, which is perfect, just like you. That just leaves me to conclude that there is so much we can learn from the honesty of a child.

As the world becomes more connected through the technologies of communication, it is also becoming easier to become disconnected from our own selves. The necessary quiet time that develops our natural, inborn connection with intuition and spiritual guidance is no longer easily found in our daily lives, and this can cause feelings of overwhelm, meaninglessness, and an inner sense of disharmony and emptiness.

In today’s world as we face unprecedented challenges both individually and collectively, there is also a very high level of daily stress that is constantly affecting our bodies, minds and emotions. Our daily lives are filled with intensity as we witness widespread social, political and climate change, uncertainty about the future, and fear of the unknown.

If these weren’t enough, there is also the effect of greater spiritual light expanding on the Earth, which is helping us to awaken spiritually, but is also creating a major cleansing process for us on all levels … spiritually, emotionally and physically. The pain of the past that we may have buried from our consciousness begins to surface into our awareness, bringing old feelings or physical symptoms to light.

We are all developing ways to cope with the increased levels of stress in our lives today. There are many spiritual tools and transformational supports that can assist you in reclaiming your inner connection with yourself. Once you create an intention to reconnect with your inner being, you will begin to draw to yourself the people, situations, and supports you need.

One of the most useful and simple ways to navigate through these very intense times is to develop a deeper connection with your natural intuitive spiritual guidance. Inner guidance is a gift from our soul to our embodied, human self which we all have access to. Some of us are more attuned to this part of ourselves, especially those who are artists, musicians, athletes, or whose work involves healing. Some of us may have learned to “turn off” this inner gift, because of childhood pressure to conform to social standards.

No matter how connected or disconnected you may feel from your inner spiritual guidance, everyone has the capacity to nurture, develop and strengthen this important part of ourselves. Living with an active and awake inner spiritual guidance offers us the opportunity to perceive and experience a whole new creative dimension of life. The universe of spiritual reality is vast and when intuition is activated, new experiences begin to open and create vaster and more meaningful possibilities.

In addition to expanding our daily experience of life, developing intuition and spiritual guidance serves to create a depth of connection to inner truth. If you’ve ever witnessed the simple and profound clarity of truth that comes from small children who have not yet learned to censor their inner guidance, you’ll have some idea of what is possible for yourself.

In today’s world where there are many sources of information that may or may not be accurate or truthful, your spiritual guidance and intuition can offer a clarity of direction in situations where it may not otherwise be possible to know what is real. As your intuition becomes more highly developed, you will be able to sense the presence of or the lack of love, light and warmth in people. You will be able to more easily discern what feels true or false to you, beyond the words that people say or the appearances that are presented.

In today’s world there is much at stake, and many choices are presented to us each day about who to listen to, and where to place our attention, time, and trust. If we are disconnected from ourselves and the center of our own being, then it is easier for us to be swayed in directions that depart from love and truth that we may later regret. Developing our inner spiritual guidance offers the precious gift of discernment, allowing us to see clearly what is true and what is not, and to navigate more easily in the great complexities and challenges that we face in today’s world.