Recovery

 There are probably as many variations of depression and anxiety as there are people suffering from the illness. Some people are plunged into a deep dark hole by the circumstances in their lives, while others suffer low mood periodically without knowing why. Winston Churchill talked about his ‘black dog’ that would visit his mind and destroy his stability. He lived a difficult and challenging life and, despite his illness, led this country through the Second World War. His depression was part of his life and would come uninvited to plague him. I understand this because I go through something similar but I keep going regardless of how I feel. I’m not sure whether changing my circumstances will cure me but I’m certain that changing the way I look at my situation will help. I have a friend, Adam Berry, who has lived through a very difficult year and has suffered massively from his grief and depression but has found new love and opportunities and is now able to see a brighter world. I know it hasn’t been easy for him but his words tell it all. I am certain he will be well again and, on the way, will help others.

These last twelve months I've learned a lot about myself and have asked myself, what is life all about? It’s not really difficult or complex in my mind, it’s quite simple really. Living life must be, and is, a mix of good and bad of happiness and sadness, of love and loss and we all should be accepting of that. If every day was a good day then that, in time, would be boring. So I choose to enjoy the good days and the good parts of my life. On the bad days, I have learned to anchor down and look for the positives however small. I have learned that regardless of how bad things are there is always something positive to be found somewhere. Even if that is just to be thankful that I made it through the day. In that moment I know I will get another opportunity tomorrow to live a great day.

Life is like a roller coaster with highs and lows, twists and turns. It goes fast and sometimes it goes slow, it has moments of joy and fear, it has anticipation, acceleration, and exhilaration. There are times when you feel like letting go and hold out your arms and there are moments you need to hold on as tight as you can. Not forgetting like any journey or ride it has a start and sadly it also must have an end too. My hope is to experience the full ride, experience all the emotions, and embrace it all. When the rides come to an end I want to be able to say, ‘WOW!! What a ride!!!’

So I'm going to live life, the very best I can. I'm going to choose to laugh more and worry less. I'm going to live a life that shows more kindness, care, and compassion. I'm going to choose to live each day to be happy, dare to have hopes, to allow myself to dream new dreams.

Live your life and live it full.

Embrace and enjoy each moment, there's not a moment to lose.

Don’t count the days, make the days count!

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaac's Birthday

 It is that time of year again. Dark and short days and cold weather keeping us indoors. We can look forward to Christmas and for some, there is pleasure in the anticipation of family celebrations and the reaching of the shortest day with a promise of spring to come. But Christmas can be hard for many people. Those who are struggling to keep warm, those on the streets, and those who are dealing with illness and loss. There will be people on their own and people who are struggling with depression who can see little joy in the world around them. For me and those I love, Christmas is a time for celebrating but also remembering. Christmas and birthdays were Isaac’s great love and now he has been taken from us it is easy to believe that those wonderful days are somehow tarnished. His excitement was infectious, and we all bathed in his childlike delight. It’s almost two years since we lost Isaac and today would have been his 25 th birthday. I miss him so much and feel very down this morning
Read more

Decorating

 Just when I think I’m getting a grip on my mental health, I find circumstances change and I’m plunged into a mental crisis. It started with an innocuous agreement that we needed a new couch. That didn’t seem too bad, but it didn’t end there. We have now bought a new couch to be delivered on the 30 th of November, a new carpet to be delivered on the 15 th of November, and a new chair, to be delivered on the 27 th of November. We had the old fireplace removed, the chimney breast replastered, and a new fire surround fitted in October. My wife has painted all the walls in the long sitting room/diner and my role included the removal of the carpets and underlay and taking them to the recycling centre. Also, all the books and small furniture had to be carried upstairs and now fill the landing and spare room.  I thought that if we brought in professional help and did not try to do everything ourselves, I would cope much better, but I found myself in a very anxious state this morning. Tryin
Read more

AMC the patchwork quilt

 Andy’s Man Club is like a patchwork quilt. It is made up of lots of different bits that come together to make something positive and functional. Last night I talked to people suffering from grief, family problems, physical ill health, and deep emotional trauma. Some had little to say, and some spoke at length. Most men in the group were gentle types who might not speak out in other situations. Some are content that their comments, brief as they are, are taken seriously and advice given. Often advice is redundant since they just need to say out loud how they are feeling. Those of us who are in long-term therapy can talk endlessly about the small steps we are taking to recover from childhood trauma. It is fascinating to listen to each contribution and to know we are making a difference. It is always good to meet new members but also to rotate people in the groups so that we all get to know each other. Not everyone moves groups because the lead Facilitator understands that some people ne
Read more