Some people call it the 'blues' and some people call it the 'pits' and some call it 'feeling down in the dumps'. But whatever you may call it, feeling depressed does not feel good at all.

The most common types of depression are:

Major Depression, which is characterized by a sad mood, Insomnia, and a decreased or absent appetite. Often when an individual is in a state of major depression, there is an utter lack of drive and motivation and the sufferer does not want to participate in life. Some people are completely disabled by depression, and some individuals even contemplate suicide.

Dysthymia: This is a less severe type of long term depression that typically does not completely disable the individual. But it keeps the person from feeling motivated and functioning at optimum levels. Sometimes people who are suffering with Dysthymia also suffer from Major Depression, and when this occurs it is called double-depression.

Manic Depression is also called Bipolar Disorder. This form of depression is less common than Dysthymia or major depression. It involves cycles of a manic state, alternated with a depressed state. This is often a long term recurring disorder. Sometimes the mood swings are very rapid. But generally speaking, onset tends to be gradual.

There are a number of variations of depression; the aforementioned are only the three most common.

Some symptoms of depression include:

Sadness; pessimism; anxiety; insomnia and sleep disorders; guilt; feelings of worthlessness; restlessness; weight loss; fatigue; pain; headaches; and thoughts of suicide.

Sources of Depression:

As previously stated, there are several types of depression: Major Depression; Manic Depression; and Dysthymia being three of the more common forms.

Many types of depression are linked to genetics. Living in a stressful environment can precipitate a depression. A trauma such as a serious loss, financial difficulties, or relationship problems can also precipitate a depression.

Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men are, but we do not yet know why.

If you suffer from depression, you will want to consult with your physician. Your healthcare provider may prescribe drugs for you. But keep in mind that every medication causes side effects.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could regulate and eliminate your depression just by having certain thoughts? I know that this might sound too simple, but very often, many types of depression are simply caused by having negative thoughts.

Don't believe me? Then test it out! It is really quite basic and simple. Just imagine something that you find very sad or troubling. Go ahead, think about it right now! Then return to this article.

So, what happened? If you really focused and visualized the sad situation, you began to feel sad and a little depressed. And the longer you permit yourself to stay in that thought pattern, the sadder you'll feel. As you continue having those thoughts and keep feeling sadder, you lead yourself into a gradually deepening depression.

The good news is that if you focus on a happy thought, then you'll supplant that depression and sadness and have happy feelings instead.

Listen carefully now, because here are the solutions to eliminating your depression: Our most pervasive thoughts spring forth from the unconscious. These are the thoughts that we find ourselves automatically thinking about during the day.

If the persistent thoughts that keep popping into your head are about your problems or sad experiences, then you raise your levels of stress, depression, and anxiety.

Now here is the 'Light at the end of the tunnel': Since hypnosis is a tool that we can use to change our unconscious thoughts, NLP and self hypnosis stress management programs can quickly alter the way that you think, feel, and behave. The beauty here is that the same techniques that help relieve stress also work equally well for eliminating depression!

Listen to me now, because I am going to tell you exactly why and how it's going to happen. Hypnosis is a natural state of mind. Actually, it's the Alpha state of consciousness. We pass through the Alpha state as we fall asleep at night. And we pass through it again as we awaken from sleeping. We also enter the Alpha state when we are imagining and daydreaming.

The unconscious is the seat of our emotions, and it's like a computer; the input controls the output! Hypnosis therapy is a wonderful tool for reaching directly into the unconscious and reprogramming it to automatically divert away from negative thinking, and promote positive thoughts. It is a tool that allows you to bypass the consciousness to create positive expectations, which will in turn generate positive feelings. You can overcome depression by using hypnotherapy.