I've heard so many people tell those who suffer depression to just "cheer up." I wonder if they really believe that it’s that simple.
Depression isn't just sadness. It is emptiness, it is misery. It is pain and nothingness at once. When you are truly depressed you lack the ability or will to cheer yourself up. No one just “has depression.” You suffer from it.
Even with all our scientific advances, depression remains one of the most mysterious mental illnesses. Anti-depressants don’t work for everyone just like meditation and vacations don’t work for many others. Ayurvedic and yogic texts dating as back as 5000 years called depression, vishada, a toxic state of mind.
In this profoundly insightful work, Om Swami categorizes depression into three types to help you see how a different approach is needed to cure each type. Beautifully woven with soul-stirring case-studies and yogic wisdom, you will gain a new perspective on depression and sadness.
Om Swami is a mystic who lives in the Himalayan foothills. Prior to renunciation, he founded and ran a multimillion-dollar software company with offices across the world.
I began reading the book at a very difficult phase in my life. Om Swami's words proved to be a soothing balm, thankfully. It is often said that one must not hesitate to reach out to their friends and seek help when depressed. However, being a fairly private person by nature, I decided to invest more time in reading up as much as possible. This book isn't one I'd otherwise pick up -- self-help is not a genre I read a lot and I had to remind myself that I AM NOT DEPRESSED, IT'S JUST A PHASE WHICH WILL PASS. However, I've become a big believer in the power of yoga and meditation -- having tried at least one of them, in the past one year. And that's exactly the approach Om Swami advises. His analysis, advice and numerous case studies are meant to be consumed in short gulps. I found myself in agreement with almost everything he had to say. PS: People react to depression differently and there's a fair amount of self-diagnosis involved. And such self-diagnosis may not always be accurate. So a word of advice: do not hesitate in reaching out to people. Your situation may be worse than you think it is.
While I love reading and listening to Om Swami but this book did not resonate with me. All the case studies mentioned in the book imply that depression can be overcome when someone loves you or when your loved ones support you. What if you have nobody to love you or support you? I am not comfortable with the idea of one's own happiness being dependent on somebody else. Yet, I would recommend others to read it because there are ayurvedic concepts mentioned in the book which might be useful to someone.
Buy a copy. Read it. Buy one more. Gift it to someone who has had an encounter or suffers from depression or someone who lives with someone like that. This is the most concise and compassionate book I have read on the topic. I very highly recommend it.
Also, don't be a dick and point out flaws. That's missing the point completely.
This is the best book on Depression so far. A very small and to the point description. I've read all books of Om Swami and I must say that his work is out of the world. He doesn't write books, he write material on which a whole research can be done. This book is a must read for the depressed person sad person and even happily living person bcz depression is now a days very common in our society and more dangerous then cancer some times. It is amazing to watch that how changing ones diet and exercise can do wonders. When All is not Well then read this book.
Some good ways to heal yourself when you are in depression and feeling so. This book given some examples with methods to deal with various situation based depression. You may read it, either for you or to understand someone's depression to help them.
There are times in our life when we have no control over what we feel and why are we feeling that way. We don't have any concrete answers to justify our actions or thought process because what is going inside cannot come out and when it does it explode. All those things you have been keeping aside for long are bound to come out in some or the other way. That might make people around you uncomfortable and uneasy because that is not who you are and you also know you are not that person but life happens and we drown. Not always there are people around to save us so we have to fight twice as hard in order to feel that normalcy again. but that's the problem we look for something that wasn't even there in the first place so how can we find it now? We need to work on our thought process as that plays a huge role in depression because we get hurt easily.
This book talks about all these things in the form of real-life stories which gives you a better understanding of depression. Though each story ends up with getting a hold on the situation and the person is in a better state but it takes years to get to that. I like that every story ends at a positive note because you have something to look forward to as even a minuscule amount of hope can do wonders. Also, there are some yogic and ayurvedic concepts mentioned in the book, meditation being one of them, which really helps. . "For years I thought, real life was about to begin. For years I thought something big, something grand was going to happen in my life and I would suddenly start feeling happier. I thought what I was living was not my real life, that I was meant to do something else. And one day I would be free of all shackles, I would be free of all my engagements. Then I would embark upon this journey of discovering myself, of being happy, of always being fulfilled. But there was always some unfinished business. There was a bill to be paid, there was a call to be made, and there was an email to be replied to … so, no matter how much I ticked off, there was always some stuff still left. There was always some obstacle on the path of my happiness. One day, it dawned that these obstacles were my life.
These lines from the book made perfect sense to me but to realize that 'it is life' one goes through a lot of hardships to come to terms with it. Read this book if you want to understand depression, gift it to someone who suffers from depression or has had an encounter with it.
“If depression is comparable to a physical disease, it’s certainly not just a common cold – it’s more like a tumour. It could be benign in some or downright cancerous in others. Either way, it needs attention, because it is debilitating. Unlike many physical afflictions, though, it is curable; we can emerge from depression and lead happy, healthy lives.”
Om Swami, who renounced his successful professional career in search of spiritual enlightenment, has given us handbook, so to speak, on how to deal with depression with the help of yoga, pranayama and meditation.
Swami’s love and concern for his fellow human beings are unmistakable.
It is an amazing insight into the dynamics of the most talked about mental ailment, "Depression". This offers more solace to a sad/morose person or if I may say depressed person than any other piece I have ever read. The only reason being it is non-judgemental and offers solutions than just useless mumbo-jumbo.
This is a self-help book that delves into the topic of depression from a unique perspective. While it does touch upon scientific aspects such as the initial discussion on depression and the science behind medication, it predominantly emphasises the role of belief, faith, and yoga in healing. While I respect this approach, I found myself yearning for more depth and a more convincing argument.
For readers new to self-help books or those seeking a faith-based approach to healing their depression, this book may be a suitable choice. Personally, I wasn't particularly fascinated, but I do appreciate Om Swami's personal experiences and encounters with friends and acquaintances.
In my perception, the book can be divided into two parts: the examples and the coping advice. The first part, where he explores how depression manifests differently in individuals, was incredibly captivating. Witnessing how various life experiences and events can trigger depression was very interesting to read. However, I had reservations about the second part, which focuses on overcoming depression. Some of the advice provided seemed difficult to agree with, especially if one is not already engaged in a regular yoga practice. As someone who has been meditating for the past four years, I still found some of the statements hard to accept.
While certain techniques may work for some people, they can come across as wishy-washy and may not be sufficient to address the multitude of factors involved in treating depression. It is important to note that practices like alternate breathing and sun salutations alone cannot serve as a complete solution for depression. These practices may provide temporary relief from intrusive thoughts, but comprehensive healing requires a holistic approach that encompasses various aspects of mental health, such as therapy and medication, if necessary.
Overall, I appreciated the book for what it offered, but I cannot fully recommend it due to my disagreements with some of its content. It may appeal to readers who are open to faith-based healing and are seeking alternative perspectives on depression. However, those looking for a more comprehensive and evidence-based approach may find it lacking in convincing arguments.
AI-powered recommendations on my Amazon app suggested me a book with quite an unusual title — “When All is Not Well” by Om Swami. The title intrigued me and knowing that it was by Om Swami, I instantly placed an order.
Off lately, my life feels topsy-turvy for reasons both personal and professional. So, this book recommendation actually felt like Divine providence - just like a ray of light amidst darkness.
As I finish reading this book, I must foremost extend my heartfelt gratitude to Om Swami for writing this masterpiece of a book. The book demystifies daunting subjects like depression, sadness and healing via easy to understand language and relatable case studies.
Depression isn’t just sadness. It is misery. It is both pain and nothingness. People don’t ‘have’ depression, they suffer from it. If depression is comparable to a physical disease, it’s certainly not just a common cold — it’s more like a tumour. It could be benign in some or downright cancerous in others. Either way, it needs attention, because it is debilitating. Unlike many physical afflictions, though, it is curable; we can emerge from depression and lead happy, healthy lives.
Ayurvedic and yogic texts call depression ’vishada’, a toxic state of mind. They consider it an illness, a disability — but one that is curable. In a profoundly insightful work that draws from these texts, mystic and healer Om Swami categorizes depression into three types (severe, major and mild depression), each of which requires a different approach. Bringing yogic wisdom and ayurvedic knowledge to case studies from his own files, the author covers a range of options from medication to specialized meditation.
When All is Not Well will leave you with a new perspective on depression and sadness. It will induce an unwavering hope within you, to fight the arduous circumstances in life with dignity and grace.
Depression. Yes! This is the most common mental-diarrhea (pun intended :-D) each human being go through in his/her life at one point of time in their life. Trust me, we will get much better than before who we were if we go through depression in one or the other way for one or the other reasons. That doesn't mean that we should expect it to happen to us :D The book illustrates a few real-time examples on Depression and how to overcome it. The core essence of the book explains us on "How to love ourselves than expecting others to love us.". The expectation and disappointment are the two faces of the same coin. Above all, only if we have love that could sustain us to live better than being dependent on others, then we could share it with others then the love multiplies not the other way round. Om Swami sir has given a few yogic practices which would help us to be mentally calm, physically fit and emotionally stable through all courses of life with consistent practice. In life, we always learn the lessons after we go through the test. So does the case with depression too, we never know what it brings us to our life in a positive way. It helps us to enhance our sensitivity to ourselves and others around us, we get to see different perceptions. More than anything it helps us to know ourselves much better than any other sort of situations could teach us. If you are depressed this book is for you to know the dynamics of it and how to work on it to come out of it. If you are not depressed also this book is for you :P. Because, prevention is better than cure as they say! Cheers! Happy Reading.
This book was a random pick, I took it going by the author of the book, om Swamy. When I started the book, I realized that it was about depression and handling it. Though I was not expecting or interested in the topic, I still completed the book, as it was one of the two books I started this year. The book talks about some of the differences between Depressions and sadness. However, I did learn a few new things about depression, like some of the regular upsetting factors that happen with most of us is also a version of depression at a very basic level. Which if occurs frequently or repeatedly could result into a deeper depression. Also, some of the stories shared in the book were very nice to listen and carry good moral, so over all I think besides depression there are a few things that we can learn. Having said that I think the book is more of the needed people than for anyone to read. So my ratings are a combination of the content and the relevance in general. The content sure seems to be good, though I am going by the face of it since I am not very familiar with the impacts of depression. Few things like Meditation, Self Revie sure will help in many aspects. Swamy has also mentioned some steps to carry out these which to begin with are helpful. Once again, the book is not for everyone and anyone, so I am not recommending for any general read, but people with interest and need can sure go for it.
Om Swami (2015) WHEN ALL IS NOT WELL - DEPRESSION, SADNESS AND HEALING: A YOGIC PERSPECTIVE
London. Black Lotus Press
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 out of 5 stars
The sleeve reads, "I've heard so many people tell those who suffer depression to just "cheer up." I wonder if they really believe that it’s that simple. Depression isn't just sadness. It is emptiness, it is misery. It is pain and nothingness at once. When you are truly depressed you lack the ability or will to cheer yourself up. No one just “has depression.” You suffer from it.Even with all our scientific advances, depression remains one of the most mysterious mental illnesses. Anti-depressants don’t work for everyone just like meditation and vacations don’t work for many others. Ayurvedic and yogic texts dating as back as 5000 years called depression, vishada, a toxic state of mind. In this profoundly insightful work, Om Swami categorizes depression into three types to help you see how a different approach is needed to cure each type. Beautifully woven with soul-stirring case-studies and yogic wisdom, you will gain a new perspective on depression and sadness."
"For some who have never endured depression, it may seem like a creation of other's imaginations or a weakness of one's character. For anyone who has been in the grip of depression, though, it is as real as any physical disease"
"Depression isn't just sadness. It is emptiness, it is misery. It is pain and nothingness at once. When you are truly depressed, you lack the ability or will to cheer yourself up"
Depression has become one of the most talked about mental ailments. A person suffering from depression feels a disconnect with self, with others, and with environment. It's a cruel malaise that leaves the victim permanently spiraling in negative thoughts.
Consider reading this book if you want to know what it means for a person to suffer from depression. Om Swami provides a simple yet insightful explanation of the types of depression one can suffer from, and how to overcome them through yogic and dietary techniques. It helps one understand the life state of a depressed person and the humongous effort it takes to overcome this mental illness.
'When All Is Not Well' is highlighting Depression in a really different way. It's not full of stories but just real talk and that's exactly what you want to hear. It gives you a new take with the twisted yogic perception and empowers you to see your problems in better light. One of my favourite quotes from the book is 'Depression is a fracture of not just your mind, it’s a fracture of your very being – everything you thought you were or stood for feels broken.' This is my first book by Om Swami and I sincerely recommend it to not only those who are going through depression but also to those who aren't.This will definitely be a valuable insight to anyone and everyone who is constantly searching for ways to heal.
This book explores the root of depression - beyond the physical and emotional manifestations.
It is thoroughly refreshing, and explores ayurvedic and yogic practices, and the use of meditation to reach to the deep root causes of one's sadness.
Towards the end, Swami wrote that peace is not about being free from stressful work or situations. Rather, it means that despite all the adversity, troubles and challenges, one can still maintain faith and calm. That's peace, and it was beautifully depicted with the example of the long with two paintings.
He also gifted us with the method of still gazing, which I am most keen to try out for myself and see the effects of it.
A book to ponder about how we think about life in general. Fascinating.
I stumbled upon this book while looking for some good book to read. I bought it immediately and read it in 2 sitting. It is a light reading, written in simple language, which helps you to do self talking.
It has some simple and valuable tips for life, which are really helpful.
A nice book to read. No high talks. Simple and practical ideas and concepts. You can easily connect to the ideas.
I have made notes from this books and going through the notes to implement some of the things in my own life. Will definitely come back and give more insight for the book in couple of days.
Overall I liked this book very much because it was truly interesting to read. As it was written in most simple and easy understandable language. One thing I liked in this book very much which was that each chapter was a small story which becomes very easy for the reader to read the book as a fiction stories. But one thing I dislike that this book does give the solution to people suffering from depression. But common people, book is very extremely good. I would recommend it to my loved ones so that they will come to know that what type of problem people are going through in their life.
I loved how this novel was full of great advice and solid examples. I didn't feel like I was being told how to do something by someone who didn't have legitimate facts backing them up.
The way it is written is extremely easy to follow and gives you a step by step process.
The flow was a bit convoluted at times due to the fact that some ideas are repeated because they do come into play at different times in the process, but other than that it is a solid read.
Going into this one, I wasn't 100% sure this novel was going to apply to me in its entirety. While that was the case, there was definitely plenty I fell like I got from reading this novel. I could still appreciate Om Swami's authority and knowledge of the subject. It was very interesting to read about and I think things from this novel could help people dealing with certain struggles in their life.
Open your mind and open your heart. This is a very spiritually awakening novel. There are a lot of different aspects of this novel in which I related to and felt a sense of relief after reading. It’s kind of hard to explain as I feel that everyone will take different things from reading, its a subjective novel. If you are open and willing to let in new perspectives, I think you will take away a lot from this.
Very poignantly written. This book is like a friend who understands what depression really feels like. Someone who doesn’t write it off as just ‘being lazy’. The first two chapters are harrowing yet accurate portrayal of depression as a malaise. The book comprises a combination of spiritual and modern practices to overcome depression. Just reading it gave me comfort and understanding of a real human being. Thank you Om Swami for being a generous soul.
I really liked the description of what depression is what it's not Also, liked how the author understands that antidepressants are required for some cases as a form of initial support but it's not a great idea to depend on them all your life. As a reader, you get a very holistic perspective of melancholy and depression, Highly recommended for anybody who has gone/going through depression or knows someone going through it.
As the title says , it is a yogic perspective on treating depression
It talks about the types of depressions and how they can be tackled by Ayurveda and Yogic practices. The how to treat part could be further elaborated as I think that is limited in this book. Mostly it can be a good guide for both depression patients and their care givers. It will not act as a sole resource to tackle these things though. It should be treated as an add on resource
If you are in depression or one of your family/friend are dealing with depression this book can really help and even you are not depressed this book will give you peace of mind .there are some cases and stories have been shared in this book which can really help you to understand depression and it's symptoms,how it is different from normal sadness,and how could you cope with it. I totally prefer this book.
An excellent book on the subject of Depression. This book is not only for people who are suffering from Depression. Techniques shared in the book can help everyone. We all feel low at times and can be benefited by reading this book. By reading this book I gained more understanding for the people who are suffering from Depression. A book must read for sure.
Life is but a concoction of luck and misery. A cocktail of happy moments and sorrow times. People experience vagaries. Some say it’s karma while some just keep quiet knowing not what to do when in times of something needed to be done. This book is for everyone who have suffered at least once in their life, for any reason however meagre it might be. Strongly recommended.