You may have noticed that where you place your attention totally affects your mood. Did you know that Meditation can be defined as “focused attention”? If this is the case, then couldn’t meditation be a great tool for dealing with depressed moods? I think so. You can totally benefit from using meditation for dealing with depression.
But often I hear clients say: “I’m no good at meditation” or “I can’t do meditation”. I find myself wondering what they have been told about meditation and if they are holding themselves to an impossible standard. If meditation is a practice, then doesn’t it make sense that one may start as a novice and only improve over time?
I was taught there are many way to practice meditation and I was supported to choose a form of mediation practice that “worked” for me. Fortunately, I was not straight-jacketed by a bunch of “shoulds” about the practice. When I asked for help with challenges, I was not repeatedly told I was doing it “wrong”. The practice was kept simple.
Depressed moods and focused attention
My husband claims, a good strategy for depression is “to focus your eyeballs outwards”. He notes how depressed moods are often accompanied by an “eyeballs inward” focus. I have taken to observing where my “eyeballs” are when in a depressed mood. I have then tracked how turning my “eyeballs outwards” impacts my mood. I think he is on to something!
Lest anyone thinks I am being highly literal, let me explain a bit:
“Eyeballs inwards” would be akin to spending a lot of “time in the head” disconnected from other realms of existence. You might be worrying about some imagined future, repeatedly replaying a past interaction, or spending time in self- focused observations that don’t connect to things outside oneself.
“Eyeballs outwards” may include things like: really seeing the environment around you (while also feeling your feet below you) when you take a walk , noticing and then filling your cat’s empty water bowl, playing an instrument with intention, washing a dish (just) until the grease is actually gone. In all of these situations, you remain a part of the interaction, but you are not lost in the self alone. You are present with yourself and the object of your attention at the same time.
Try out this mediation for depressed mood
Next time you find yourself lost in a depressed mood, see if you can inch yourself towards – or throw yourself into – an activity that takes you out of an “eyeballs inwards only” place. It might be as simple as changing your posture and noticing how that shifts your connection to an object you are touching. You could move to a different room and notice how the colors, smells and sounds are different in that room. You could step outside and sense how the change in temperature feels on your skin. The meditation might take the form of doing “just one thing” with your full attention.
You can ease yourself into this shift by setting a goal that doesn’t overwhelm you. For instance, you can set a timer for 1 minute of practice. You can shift your focus of attention to one thing only, without even moving an inch from your current location. If you really want to challenge yourself, you can play with your cat for 3 whole minutes. If your cat begins to purr, you succeeded to practice meditation and you achieved empathy!
Lisa T Perry, MEd, LPC, CCMHC, VMT-R is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She has been helping people cope with depression for over 25 years.