11/11/2020
Wonderful advice for battling depression...
Dear Ones...
When I was battling depression years ago, I made a realization: The most dangerous place in the world for me was lying alone in bed — not sleeping, not reading, but THINKING.
And the most dangerous part of my day was that time period between when I woke up and when I stood up. And the longer I extended that time period — the longer I stayed in bed, captivated by what I came to call “horizontal thinking” — the worse off I would be.
The disease of my depression wanted me to stay horizontal for as long as possible, where it had me hostage. Once the thinking began, then the brooding would begin. And once the brooding began, well — then I was truly in trouble. Because then came the worst movie ever made: all those images of anxiety, shame, despair, regret, unworthiness, past failures and future catastrophes. And once that movie took me hostage, the challenge of standing up became even more difficult, and my day was already ruined.
Somewhere in my recovery from depression, I was able to create an iron-bound rule for myself. There are only three things I am allowed to do in bed: sleep, read, or (if I’m lucky) make out with someone. (Yes, I said “make out.” I’m in 8th Grade. ) But what I CANNOT do in bed, if I want to survive the treacherous crevasses of my own mind, is THINK. And if I stay there too long — horizontal and captivated by my own deadly imagination — I’m doomed. I created a script to say to my mind: “If you are awake enough to tell me that I am history’s biggest piece of s**t, then you are awake enough to start the day.” That empowered me to stand up. And sometimes, standing up is the biggest victory of all.
I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but here it is: If you are physically able, get up now.
Nothing good will ever come to you from horizontal thinking. Don’t let your mind win its most brutal game. You deserve better.
Get vertical. Move your mind to a higher altitude, where the view is better.
You can do this.
I love you very much.
Onward ❤️LG
