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In today’s hyper-connected world, where injustice, suffering, and disconnection are ever-present, depression is not just a clinical diagnosis—it’s often a spiritual signal in need of healing. We have to remember…. the reality is we live in a society that is emotionally starved, spiritually fragmented, and environmentally overstimulated.
Within this context, I have started seeing an increase in a unique and lesser-understood experience that I have started calling Periodic Existential Depression (PED)—a natural, cyclical emotional response to living in a deeply imbalanced world.
Rather than labeling all depression as dysfunction, what if some forms were actually a healthy response to an unhealthy society?
🌍 What Is Periodic Existential Depression?
Periodic Existential Depression refers to short-term, recurring emotional episodes marked by hopelessness, apathy, and overwhelm—often triggered by moments of heightened awareness about global suffering, societal dysfunction, or the apparent meaninglessness of modern life.
Unlike clinical depression, which can last for months or years, PED typically arises suddenly and lasts between 24–72 hours. It’s cyclical, contextual, and spiritually-rooted.
🔹 Common triggers include:
- Watching distressing global news
- Reflecting on the state of humanity or the environment
- Personal awakenings or spiritual breakthroughs
- Burnout from overworking or over-consuming media
This form of depression reflects not just sadness, but a moral and spiritual dissonance with the world that calls for an equally profound practice of healing.
🤯 The Psychological Roots: Suppression, Disassociation, and Shadow Work
In modern life, we often suppress our deeper emotions to function “normally.” We’re conditioned to scroll past tragedy, tune out suffering, and carry on with daily tasks. This disassociation becomes a coping mechanism—but not a cure.
Over time, suppressed emotional energy builds up in the unconscious mind until it erupts in the form of existential despair. PED is the body and soul’s way of saying:
“You cannot spiritually bypass your pain any longer.”
It’s a message to pause, reflect, and realign.
🧘♀️ Holistic Tools for Healing Existential Depression
1. Tune Into Your Emotional Rhythms
Track how your emotional state shifts around news, media use, or social engagement. Recognizing your emotional patterns can help you detect PED early and support yourself more compassionately.
✍️ Wellness Practice: Keep a “Mood & Meaning Journal” to reflect on moments that trigger your emotional shifts. Ask: “What truth am I confronting right now?”
2. Create Sacred Space for Disconnection
When PED arises, withdraw from digital noise and external obligations. Make space for inner inquiry, rest, and stillness. This helps balance your nervous system and reconnect you to the present.
🌿 Tip: Spend time in nature or create a home sanctuary with calming sounds, soft lighting, and grounding scents (like lavender or cedarwood). The natural world is a powerful form of healing.
3. Move Energy Through the Body
Emotion is energy in motion. Periodic existential depression often stems from stagnant emotional energy. Mindful movement like yoga, breathwork, or shaking meditation can move the heaviness through your system, jump-starting your healing process.
💪 Try This: A 15-minute flow that includes heart-openers (like cobra or camel pose) and deep belly breathing to release sadness and expand your chest.
4. Practice Conscious Gratitude
While gratitude doesn’t erase pain, it helps us anchor in what is still beautiful and alive. This grounding practice can shift our emotional frequency and reduce the severity of PED episodes.
🙏 Gratitude Prompt: “What moments in the past 24 hours reminded me that life is worth living?”
5. Engage in Creative and Healing Expression
Art, poetry, music, and storytelling are powerful vehicles for healing by transforming pain into purpose. By expressing the inexpressible, we connect to others and reclaim meaning.
🎨 Activity: Create a collage or painting of what your “existential depression” looks like, then write a short note to it, expressing compassion and curiosity.
🌌 Existential Depression as a Spiritual Signal for Healing
PED is not just psychological—it’s energetic and existential. It’s a call to:
- Reconnect with your inner voice
- Examine your relationship to collective suffering
- Rediscover your purpose and soul mission
Existential depression often emerges when our external life becomes misaligned with our deepest values and spiritual truths. That discomfort is sacred. It can be used to reorient you toward a more authentic life.
💠 A Sustainable Wellness Approach: Healing Mind, Body, and Soul
To navigate PED sustainably, your self-care must go beyond bubble baths and affirmations. You need:
- Mental clarity: Practice mindfulness, limit media exposure, and seek meaning.
- Emotional literacy: Learn to name, feel, and safely release your feelings.
- Spiritual depth: Cultivate rituals, connect with community, and explore practices that help you feel a part of something greater.
🌟 The goal is not to avoid existential depression—it’s to move through it with grace, wisdom, and wholeness.
🤝 You’re Not Alone: Collective Grief Is a Shared Human Experience
If you’ve ever wondered, “What’s the point?”, you’re not broken. You’re awake.
Periodic existential depression is evidence of your empathy. It means you care deeply about the world. That sensitivity is not a weakness—it’s your superpower.
Through intention, embodiment, and aligned action, you can turn despair into devotion and grief into growth.
With Love,
Dr. Molly
Want to learn more about Wellchemy? Read all about it here!
✨ Want to Transform Your Pain Into Power?
At Therapeutic Fitness, we offer holistic coaching for mind, body, and soul—designed to help you heal, align, and thrive. Our programs blend movement, mental clarity, and spiritual insight so you can grow through what you go through.
🔗 Explore our services at www.therapeuticfitness.com
