I wanted to highlight a huge difficulty that most of us run into when we are trying to rid ourselves of something like anxiety or depression. The primary reason why we seem "stuck" within our suffering is the point of perception that we take.
Mind loves to divide.
Mind loves this and that.
Mind loves duality.
So with anxiety or depression, mind divides ITSELF into two parts.
Let's use anxiety as an example of this, as I suffered with it for nearly five decades. There is anxiety and there is someone who HAS anxiety. That makes two parts, correct? Wrong! There are feelings, emotions, thoughts, but there is no OWNER of those things.
Ownership is an illusion. If you try to find this someone who possesses anxiety, we will find there is no substance to them. There is just thoughts, memories, emotions, feelings moving upon a screen of Awareness.
You are not there to possess the anxiety, but the IDEA of ownership, which is another thought, creates the illusory perception of ownership. We must come to Realize that the so-called owner who possesses anxiety- is just another thought.
So how does this help us. What do we need to do to be rid of anxiety?
If we Realize the idea of someone who HAS the anxiety is just another thought, then we need to shift our focus to the AWARENESS of all these things moving within the mind. Aware of thoughts. Aware of feelings. Aware of emotions. Don't try to understand what this Awareness is, because that is just more thought activity.
Be Aware of feeling anxious. Be Aware of the heart racing. Be Aware of that constant inner chatter. Be Aware of that sinking feeling in the stomach and the rattling nerves. Now don't try to be rid of them. It takes a lot of patience at first, but we must refrain from needing to be free of the difficult experiencing. If we relax into Observation ONLY, we take the power away from mind.
Remember, mind loves division. So we take the division away through Silent Awareness. We don't give any energy to the mind via conflict with the difficulties. IF we are consistent and patient, then over time the mind grows tired of not getting any reaction- and it quiets on its own.
Mind is DOING.
Trying to be free of anxiety or depression is more doing.
Observation is not a doing.
Observation is a Being.
This will shift the point of perception from the person- to the Awareness that is free of all afflictions.
It is not an easy task, but take it from someone who has been through the fire, you will not regret putting this into practice, as to have a silent mind is to be immeasurably at Peace.