Recovery

You have been depressed for so long that you are sick and tired of being depressed. You want your life back! You desire to feel happy, confident, successful, valued, connected, interested and interesting. ‘If only I can break the cycle of this depression and set myself free to LIVE the rest of my life!’

The truth is: it’s hard to break free from depression. It’s almost impossible to talk yourself out of it (Would be nice to hear from people who succeeded this way!) It’s also unlikely that a person, who has been crippled by depression, would find strength, discipline and motivation to do and act differently from one particular moment forward.

May is here! What can we do differently this month to alleviate our depression and start enjoying life again? Small changes followed consistently go a long way.

Here is my list of suggestions to implement in May:

1. Eat outside (alfresco) whenever weather is permitting. Eat by the open window, if it’s raining or windy.

Six weeks ago, I started my decluttering experiment. Although I made some progress, the results that excite me most lay not in the renewed order of my personal environment but the knowledge I gained during these past weeks.

Allow me to share this knowledge with you, as some of my insights may be of value to your life too.

Lesson #1: Knowing what and how to do is not enough. Nothing gets done without taking action.

Last week British newspapers reported the suicide of Victoria Nye.She was a bright and beautiful 22-year-old trying to get her mental illness under control. She had plans to become a doctor. All she needed was to heal and develop new habits, strategies, skills…

She sought help. For the first time in her life, she agreed voluntarily to go to the hospital to get better.

Did you know that in olden days soups were prescribed to you if you were unwell? In many cultures, it is still the first food served to a person recovering from an illness, especially a long one.

Soups are made all over the world, hence the endless types, varieties and flavours. Making soups is a very old tradition. It is said that restaurants were originally created to serve soups (restoratifs) in 18th century Paris.

What makes soup so special?

Wait… don’t log off… give me a minute of your attention… please…

I know how upsetting it is to read the title of this post. But let me explain.

Of course, you want to be depression-free. I have no doubts that this is your conscious choice.

However, it’s not enough to want this outcome consciously. What goes on deep in the recesses of your subconscious mind will also influence whether you can achieve your desired results.