In a world composed of energy, the wave metaphor can help us understand many things about our lives that may have been perplexing before. Energy is composed of waves. Waves are defined not by their location in space as a discrete entity, but can only be described by wavelength (distance between crests), amplitude (distance between the crest and trough) and frequency (the number of times a crest passes a particular point in a second). In other words, a wave is a vibration that goes up and down. 
Even matter is a form of energy just moving in slow motion. So even in the physical world we have cycles that reflect the wave patterns of subatomic energy. We have day and night, and summer and winter. We have biorhythms in our bodies. We have bull and bear stock markets that follow each other in irregular cycles, but cycles nonetheless. And the most successful stock traders are the ones who recognize these cycles, and buy at the low end of the cycle and sell at the high end, and never try to time the market.
Recognizing cycles as natural and necessary to everyday life can bring greater understanding to many things in our lives. But there is one cycle that is particularly important to many of us on Earth right now. This is the cycle of psychological expansion and contraction. The low end of this cycle is what has been mistakenly called depression.
Depression has become a cash cow for insurance companies who have both capitalized on, and promoted the idea that depression is pathology. Depression is not pathology. It is a natural and necessary part of a cycle.
There are times in our lives when we naturally feel expansive. We enjoy life and want to share our excitement with those around us. We reach out to other people with joy and laughter and we feel productive in whatever we are engaged in, whether it be school or our jobs or careers.
But inevitably, after a period of expansiveness, we become unbalanced physically, mentally and/or spiritually. We are so outwardly oriented that we fail to notice that we may have hurt some feelings, made some mistakes in our work, or neglected our creative or spiritual side. We have been so physically active we have not given our bodies time to rest. We have overexerted our minds to the point of exhaustion. We have become bored with our jobs because we are no longer challenged and need new opportunities.
Becoming unbalanced after a time of expansion is natural and necessary for continued physical, psychological and spiritual growth. We learn more and are stretched far beyond our usual comfort limits by imbalances like “mistakes” and “failures” than by our successes. The ego glories in success, but when we are successful we tend to repeat the same strategies over and over. This behavior may be productive in the outer world, but it can lead to the stagnation of our inner world.
When we become unbalanced we contract. We become “depressed”. Although this low end of the cycle certainly doesn’t feel great, it is really an adaptive mechanism designed to alert us to the fact that there is an imbalance so we can do something about it.
Think of the symptoms of depression. We feel lethargic. We don’t want to go out or be around people. We have no energy or passion for even the things that interested us before. We feel awful and know that something is “wrong” but often can’t put our finger on what it is. Or, many times, we know what is wrong but we adopt a victim attitude and conclude that an abusive boss or a boring job is just something to bear and not something we can do something about. Our bodies are providing the quiet time away from usual activities so we can engage in self-reflection.
Unfortunately, the many anti-depressants available today and the ease of getting them, have allowed us to sweep these imbalances under the rug so we can continue on as before. And guess what? Drugs just numb the pain. What is worse, drugs prevent us from paying attention to the energetic information we are receiving. So anti-depressants actually make the problem worse because they make it possible to continue to treat the problem like a physical illness without really dealing with the underlying problems themselves. Consequently, what often starts out as mild depression soon becomes severe and chronic.
Depression is the body/soul’s message that something is out of balance, and you can, and must do something about it, even if you don’t think you know how. Out of balance energy is stuck energy that is holding you back and causing you to stagnate. Depression is a sign that it is time to move on, to stretch your wings and develop potentials you didn’t know you had. It is asking you to sit quietly and meditate on your situation and ask yourself what is wrong and how to move ahead. A simple intention to solve the problem(s) will start the process.
If you have no idea what the problem(s) might be, it is still important to decide on a first step.
This could be talking to a trusted counselor or friend about what might be unbalanced in your life. Enlisting the aid of another often provides a more objective perspective that can help us see beyond the stuckness. This is a time when it is very important to be honest with yourself. Your ego may not like the information you’re getting, but pat it on the head and tell it to be quiet while you sort things out.
Exercise is also an excellent way of encouraging energy flow in the body, which will, in turn, help us feel more positive about our ability to move ahead psychologically. We know that exercise releases endorphins in the brain that help us feel better and have a more positive outlook on life. Exercising when you are depressed certainly takes some commitment, but once you feel the difference it won’t be so hard to rely on this resource in the future.
Maybe you do have an idea of what the problem may be, but don’t think you can do anything about it. Your soul in its infinite wisdom knows you better than your conscious self, and it gives information only when you are ready for it. If you are experiencing depression because of an imbalance in your life, then you are ready to move beyond the problem. You wouldn’t be experiencing these feelings if you were not capable of moving forward even though it may at first seem scary.
It is also important to remember that depression and grief, although they feel similar, are not the same thing. When something important changes in our lives, we must grieve for what has gone.
Grief is also a natural part of human life even though it feels terrible. There is no way around grief. The only way forward is through it. If you don’t allow yourself to fully experience your grief, it will turn into stuck energy as well, and never ease as it would if you allowed yourself to really experience it.
Even though the physical world around us seems static or fixed and we often yearn for the familiar and stable, the natural state of energy is flow. Since we are energy beings our natural state is also movement and flow. Waves of energy go up and down, and so does life. Embracing these natural cycles rather than resisting them, allows us to move forward with ease and grace.
You can learn more about the energy realm in my book, “It’s All About Energy: Adventures in Expanded Reality”, found on Amazon, and on my website, www.transformationalexpansion.com.
Lovely Bev. I especially appreciate the distinction you make between grief and depression. In their anxious desire to make one feel better about the grief associated with things that have been lost, or said or done or are never to be, others may push prescription medication or other seemingly quick fixes, when in fact only time, acceptance and the opening of new doors or insight are likely to work their way. Some grief, I believe, never abates, but hopefully softens over time and behooves each of us to treat one another with kindness, for we never truly know the path another has walked and what they carry inside.