Anyone Suffering from Depression Should Learn This Piece of Eastern Wisdom

Did you know that there’s a difference between true happiness and something called “mania?” Depression always comes after mania, but never after happiness. We have a funny conception of happiness here in the West. Western philosophers have mused on the meaning and attainment of happiness for centuries. Coca-Cola’s slogan “open happiness” suggests that opening a can of their soda is all you need to do to be happy. The United States constitution mentions “the pursuit of happiness” as if happiness were something to seek and eventually attain from the external world. With all of these different conceptions about happiness floating around, how are we supposed to determine what happiness actually is? Eastern philosophy has an answer to this question. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) identifies a phenomenon called “mania,” in which people become overly excited and uncontrollably giddy. Mania, according to TCM, damages the heart and ultimately leads to depression after the extreme excitement subsides. Symptoms of mania include shouting, wild movements, rapid and incoherent talking, delusions of grandeur, and a tremendous high followed by a crushing low.

True happiness, according to eastern philosophy, is a stable feeling of contentment that comes from generosity, morality, and helping others. Unlike mania, happiness isn’t followed by a period of depression. Eastern philosophy says that happiness is ever-present as long as you don’t do or think bad things. If you’re depressed, consider volunteering. Find a cause that you care about and contribute in whatever way possible. Compare the feeling of helping someone else to the feeling of buying a ton of new shoes. Buying the shoes might make you feel high for a moment, but eventually the high will fade and depression will ensue. Volunteering at a no-kill animal shelter will make you feel good about yourself, and you’ll be able to sleep peacefully at night knowing that you made a meaningful contribution to the world. It’s essential to understand the difference between mania and happiness in order to reduce the amount of depression you experience in life.