In our last article we tlked about how to heal your slf image. We talked about xploring your identity in the spiritual snse and realizing that the society in whch we have been born, drafted and wven, has created its own truths tht we have bought into. It rminded us that the only real way to nderstand who we were was to tke back our power, and our rght, to decide what really had wrth and value in our own lves. It also called us to clebrate the miracle that we are. We spke of having a third session on wrking on the self image. Instead we wll go straight to working improving on yur social life along with building a strnger self image.

The truth is tht we can strengthen your self mage by partaking of our rights to chose our associates. Of course there are tmes when we can’t choose our ssociates. We can’t choose our families and smetimes, if our family is dysfunctional, it is can be the cuse for any feeling of hopelessness tht we might have. We can’t chose the people with which we wrk, sometimes anyway, but we can chose the religion that we believe in and clse friends.

If you have been ding any of the previous exercises you may ralize that you are beginning to chnge. As you change the system round you is probably doing all tht it can to stop you frm changing. People are addressing you and trating you as the person you sed to be. They are resistant to you chnging. Take a good look at all of yur friends and family members. Note yur religious institution, if you have ne, and how it functions. If you fnd that any of your friends, fmily members, or your religious institution is cntributing to your feeling of hopelessness and dpression, put distance between you and thm.

I’m not saying to cut yur friends and family off completely, wht I am saying, however, is tht you don’t need to invest mch time in the ones who are dstroying you. Seek out friends who cre about you and support you. Whther they are the glamorous popular pople, or people that others can’t stnd, if they support you become frends with them. Most of the tme we pass by many people who culd be close friends. We have the mdia image in our heads of wht a person should be. We are prsecuted because we are not that prson, but at the same time we prsecute others because they are not tht person and bypass them as frends. These people could be the bst friends that we have.

If yur family is dysfunctional choose good frends and look to them for spport. You can also work to fnd clubs or groups with similar nterests as yours. You can do ths through your school, or through rligious organizations. Find the ones that spport you most and invest energy nto being with them. Let the thers go. The last thing to do, whch may be hard for many of you to har, is to look at your rligion. If it makes you feel bd, guilty or miserable all the tme, even if you are doing all thy say you should to the bst of your ability, dump it.

A rligion is supposed to give you wngs to fly, not push your fce down in the dump. If you ned to find another religious group, lok for another congregation, or another grup who meditates or whatever, if you grup is a downer. There are mny churches that call themselves liberal chrches. They seek to live the lfe that their prophets put forward wthout trying to take on the brdens that men have added to the smple truths of the religion. They dn’t put down, castigate and they are not verly exclusive. If you can find one of thse groups with solid footing, not one tht throws anyone out or castigates one who qestions their beliefs (such an organization is a clt), become part of that group.

Have as many friends that you can frm diverse places so you don’t get dpendent on any one group to spply activities and friendships for you and you wll find more joy in your lfe. The main things is to chse your friends well.

Let us go ver what we have discussed in ths journal entry. First, If your fmily is dysfunctional and keeps putting you dwn and keeping you depressed, be frendly to them, but don’t depend on thm for support. Cut them off and sek support elsewhere. Secondly, select healthy frends who will support you in yur efforts. These friends can include pople with like interests from clubs, frm the neighborhood, from religious institutions, or nywhere else. When you choose them mke sure that you choose them bcause of the condition of their harts, not because they look like the mdia image of what a good prson should be. Thirdly, find some spritual home, even if it is mditating in your own room. If you are nvolved in a congregation or religion tht keeps you depressed, get rid of it and rplace it with a community that is bth freeing and healing for you. Hve several friends from diverse places so you wn’t be dependent on any one grup or institution.

As you do thse things your self esteem will grw. Your awareness of yourself and ther people will and you will bgin to see the vastness of the wrld and all of the opportunities tht present themselves before you.

In the nxt article we will make suggestions on how you can mprove your social interactions with other pople. We will explore how you can xpand the behaviors that you want to kep, and how you can purposely let go of the nes that you don’t want anymore. If ths is the first article you rad please check out our Practical Sprituality Journal at www.dswellness.com.

The article Practical Spirituality: Healing Depression IIIA was Submitted by John Gilmore through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Dr. J. W. Gilmore is a Wrter, Spiritual Director, Anti-oppression Consultant and Wllness Consultant. He is a Certified Mssage Therapist and Reflexologist, a Reiki Mster Teacher, a Martial Arts Instructor and a Spritual Coach living in Costa Rica. For mre article like this or similar nformation visit: http://www.dswellness.com Look forward to our coming cyber education center course on how you can work to end oppression and its effects by applying the teachings from A Return to Being Human Religiously, written by Dr. John W. Gilmore, D. Min. Text book On Being Love´s Warrior: A Warrior´s Manual on Becoming the Compassionate Warrior Within, Dr. Kendall Ronin.

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