CASE HISTORY 1
NAME: Anuradha
Date of Birth: 1964
SEX: Female
COMPLAINTS
- Complete lack of self-confidence.
PROGNOSIS: Poor.
DISCUSSION
The salient features of this case are:
- Lack of self confidence
- Stress
- Depression
- Lack of self confidence
Lack of self-worth, self-esteem and self-confidence are important contributing factors to an increased susceptibility for depression. Although it might not lead to these disorders on its own, it can aggravate an existing tendency towards negative beliefs.
Failure should be viewed as a learning process. The lack of confidence in one’s ability to confront fears and obstacles in life, might lead to experience failure. This may lead to feelings of despair, even a dangerous loss of interest for life.
Anxiety disorder usually starts in young age, when the person has to cope with everyday life. If there is lack of healthy self-esteem and enough self-confidence, one may doubt one’s ability to meet and master the challenges of the world. Latent mental disorders may then manifest.
Depression and anxiety may also occur after some stressful and sad event. In fact they may contribute to unemployment because of inability to properly function in a work environment.
The belief in one’s ability to meet challenges and grow from experience is essential for a wholesome life. When enthusiasm for life is lost due to failures and a lack of self-confidence, one may start to sink into the darkness of anxiety, depression and inactivity.
- Stress
Stress is an inevitable part of everyday life. Minor stresses are harmless and may even helpful at times. However, negative, long-lasting stress can be debilitating to one’s health. They drain our resistance and can lead to illness, or even cause neurotic or psychosomatic disorders.
- Depression
Depression is a common but serious illness. It requires treatment to get better but many people with a depressive illness never seek treatment. Depression is common, affecting more than 100 million people worldwide. Many people suffer in silence or are ashamed or afraid to seek help, Thoughts about death or suicide are common in depression. It is important to take such thoughts seriously. The most common treatments are medication and psychotherapy.
Effects of Meditation
The patient was dejected because all her classmates had managed to pursue higher studies, locally or overseas. A wrong choice of subjects did not permit her to get admitted to some proper course for higher studies locally. Because of financial difficulties she could not think of going abroad. This made her intensely dissatisfied with her lot. She was always stressed and given to fits of temper. This would be followed by acute feelings of depression. She felt she had no future.
“Financial strain coupled with lack of job opportunity left me with a growing dissatisfaction and loss of self-confidence. Negative thoughts assailed me. I became moody and edgy….”*
Her mother brought her for meditation. She was very reluctant at first. However, gradually she felt the practice was helping her. Yoginiji made to understand that instead of blaming others and being negative she will have to take up her life in her own hands and try something within her means. She should try to combat the loss of self-confidence and replace it with sincerity of purpose. Only then she would progress in life.
“I have regained a lot in self-confidence. After some two years of regular meditation I have discovered new faith in myself, new faith in life,…”*
She continued with meditation and followed all advice given to her. She was able to enroll in a law course. Now she felt much more self-confident and believed she could be someone.
“Meditation has helped me realise the vast potentialities that lie within my
inner being”**
She was no longer a wreck. Life had now some purpose.
“Meditation has made me realise that my life has a purpose and is not being wasted away.”**
Sometime later she managed to successfully complete her LLB course in law school.
(*Excerpts from article, Anuradha, Magazine 1, 1990, page 45)
(** Excerpts from article, Anuradha, Magazine 2, 1991, page 62)
Conclusion
Anuradha had suffered from a lack of confidence because she believed she did not have any scope for a career. Being under heavy and constant stress had left her depleted. All her energies were wasted in combating the strong influence of stressors.
As soon as she started meditation there was an inflow of prana. This helped her combat the negative mind-set she had been nurturing for years. The new experience was amazing. It relieved her of much of her stress. In turn it would wipe out the negative feelings of depression and despair plaguing her for years.
Gradually the prana she was daily obtaining from her meditation overcame her depression. Finally she regained her self-confidence and was able to take up and complete higher studies. Left to herself, all the negativity would have led to neurotic or psychotic disorders. She would have ended a wreck in some mental hospital or worse, committed suicide.