Shaking the grip of depression with Mind Chi

​​Few of us have not experienced depression at times in our life. Sometimes there is an obvious cause and it is quite natural and even necessary to dip down and experience that energy as you take time to heal and you know that slowly you will return even stronger and more resilient than you were before.

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However, sometimes it becomes very difficult to climb back out of the black pit or you find yourself there for no particular reason. Intellectually you can tell yourself,  'Come on, buck up, get over it!' but your body seems to have taken over - here is a simple 8 minute routine that may give you back the reins of control over you.

The Mind Chi Basic 8 minute routine is very easy to do and requires no special equipment, however done every day, the power of the results build and build. Here is how to do the Mind Chi Basic 8 steps, afterwards, I show you how to direct them towards returning to a happier state.

There are four segments to the Mind Chi routine, each with two steps, making the 8 minute total.

Start where the branch says ‘START’ (11:00 o’clock)

The first two steps, taking a minute each, get your body and mind set up and ready for action.
(These two steps are good to do any time you want to improve your concentration and effectiveness.)

1. Breathe - Place one hand on your belly and make sure that it rises and falls more than your other hand which is placed high on your chest. Do deep ‘belly breaths’ for a minute (make a ‘square shape’ in-hold-out-wait for 3 seconds each).
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2. Attend - Look at a second hand on a time piece and think of the word ‘One’ for a full minute. As soon as an intruding thought comes in, move up a number. Notice what number you reached by the end of the minute. The object is to keep your score at 'one'.

The next two steps look at your ‘PAST’ performance over 24 hours

3. Adjust - Rewind the tape to see where you might have acted / spoken / been more helpful; count these times on your non-dominant hand.

4. Associate - Review the tape to see where you did perform in a helpful and positive way. Link these with your feelings of success. Count these on your dominant hand.

The next two steps look at ‘NOW’.  This is where you can experience (re)gaining control over yourself. Most important!

5. Be Aware - Check in with your Body, Emotions, Actions and Thoughts (BEAT) to observe how they are functioning.

6. Choose - Crucial step! Because IF they are not what you wish, this is where you change them!

And the final two steps give you the ‘FUTURE’ you desire.

7. Plan - Project 24 hours, how would you like to be / act / think and feel?
Multi-sensorially experience yourself in a forward ‘video’.
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8. Be Grateful - This is for all that you have received and may receive -
it sends you on your way with a happy heart, a spring in your step and an expectant frame of mind…
 
Here is how to direct those 8 steps to focus on what you DO want. 
That is the first and most important question, focus on what you DO want, so what is it?
Is it calmness, contentment, inner happiness, peace? Select your desired emotional state.
Now you know what you DO want, here are each of the 8 steps with how you can direct them towards your desired emotional state:

1. Breath - know that with each intake of oxygen you are shifting the negative chemical soup of your brain and boosting your positivity. Oxygen can stop the automatic negative response, so grab those reins of control!
2. Attend (one) - learn to be aware of and then slow and remove those negative chicken circles of thought. You are the one in charge of your thoughts and this step will build the muscle of your mental control.
3. Past, negative - be gentle with yourself here, select one behaviour to focus upon. It might be changing words like 'always' or 'never' to 'seldom' or 'sometimes ' or putting yourself down - think of what is the trigger and decide on a delaying or re-directing action, maybe doing one breath before you respond. This step is to help you move in the direction you wish. Then most importantly, let the past be past.
4. Past, positive - be robust with this step! Catch yourself with even the smallest successes, steps in the direction you are choosing. If you keep a journal, write them down, if not capture each success on a little note and pop it in a glass fish bowl so you can observe your 'success bank' deposits growing and gaining interest! This step will build your self-confidence and that will help you to turn the tables on the depression.
5. Now, check BEAT - Check that you are feeding your Body with healthy, natural foods and giving it enough exercise and sleep. Check which Emotion 'room' you are in, have you slipped into an unhappy place? Next what Actions are you doing? Are you using too much/little energy? Finally your Thoughts, tune into the voice that chats away inside, is it speaking with support or undermining words?
6. Now, choose BEAT - If you found any aspect of your BEAT that is not what you would choose - NOW is the moment to change it! If your Body has slumped only taking in shallow breaths, sit up on your sitting bones and take in some slow, deep breaths. This is especially important with your Emotions as you may have slipped into the unhappy room, NOW is when you are able to select your preferred emotion. You and only you can put that selection in place, this is why it is a good habit to initially check and choose your BEAT frequently as you are creating the change in you. With the Actions, are you moving like a person with energy and who is feeling good? If not, select to do so, for at least the next 5 minutes. The other very important letter is the T for your Thoughts as you want to consciously choose to have the supportive ones and gently shepherd the undermining ones away. Again the negative self-talk may have become a habit, so checking frequently is very helpful to put in place what you wish.
7. Future, plan- specifically think of the direction you wish to go and one particular step to happiness that you will take, see yourself doing and being there. Replay that forward video in your head frequently.
8. Gratitude - all through the day be aware of all the things for which you could be grateful. Cultivate your ' moments of contentment' and re enjoy them in this final minute. Also include some gratitude for being as you would wish to be.

 
This 8 minute routine is literally rewiring your brain; you are always able to add new pathways as your brain is 'plastic'. This is why repetition is so important, first you are hacking your way through the undergrowth, slowly making a small path and then a major highway. It takes approximately 28 days to make the pathway and six months to make it a 'hard-wired' motorway. 

If you are trying any other remedies you will find that the little 8 minute Mind Chi routine fits perfectly with them. If possible do the 8 minutes at the same time every day. There are some pre and post questionnaires, so you can measure for yourself the positive impact on managing for now and making headway at regaining your happiness.

​Vanda North