Yesterday was one such day for me. Surviving. I don’t know if it was the weather (regarding seasonal depression), or I didn’t sleep well, or if it was something that affected me in a negative way. But it was a really rough day.
My daughter always used to say, “a good day always follows a bad one”. So I sort of clung to that idea believing that I’d wake up and I would feel better. Maybe not significantly better, but better none the less. I also tried to really focus on my self care and tried to figure out what, if anything I’d been missing.
And that’s what got me thinking about these two very different states of the mind. Having dealt with seasonal depression pretty much every year for my whole life, I know it never gets easier. But we can become stronger by the habits that we intentionally develop over the course of the year leading up to this time of year. You’d think that I’d be ready for it when it hits but not so. It always just kind of smacks me from behind leaving me wondering what hit me. But that doesn’t mean I have to get knocked down, or if I do, that I can’t get back up again.
I’m sure that may be the same for many of you who suffer with mental illnesses (or any hard thing for that matter). So I thought it would be great to try to focus on thriving this year instead of just surviving. Let’s do it together. I have a friends who I follow on IG that are such an inspiration to me because even in the really tough times, they are very open and constantly trying to practice good self care. One of them posted this today and I think it is a really good reminder of things that we can do when we are struggling. If we can practice these things regularly through the hard months ahead, we can thrive instead of just survive.
And if you are barely surviving, don’t be afraid to reach out. Please just stay. Don’t quit! I am always here to listen and I know others are there for you too. Don’t give up. It will get better.
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Pointing Toward Hope 