Monday, June 20, 2011
Reaching out for help before it’s too late…
We all have our own ‘hole’ that we can fall into… As we’re falling into this hole, a sense of fatigue starts to set in. We’re tired all the time… It is a processing of unfolding in a negative way. So it can be really hard to see when we start to fall into depression… We have to start looking for telltale signs and have our own landmarks of when we’re starting to go the wrong direction… What our own characteristics are: maybe we stop talking to certain people, we aren’t calling friends anymore, not going out, feeling anti-social, we’re sleeping more, not smiling as much, we have a general lack of energy, we get sick often… These could be patterns. These can be ominous signs that we have to become aware of so that we can reach out for help.
There’s a point where we cross into depression from sadness; a point where we can’t reach out for help because we can’t rouse that kind of energy. We don’t even want to hear someone say, “Rah, rah, rah! Get up, pick yourself up!” We don’t even want to make the call even though we know we should, because we’re entering into our ‘hole.’ There is a point where many people get caught up in isolation and then deep, deep depression injures them on a severe level. This can be bypassed by developing awareness of where that line is that we cross where we think we can’t be helped. So we find our landmarks of when we’re going into that hole.
If you are reading this now and you are in that hole, my hand is reaching into the darkness and these words are meant to pull you into the light. You need to reach out and get out of that hole! Someday, you’re going to be out of your depression and it’s not going to be so bad… Why not today? Why wait? If that time is going to arrive where you’re going to want to work for happiness again, get up and get things done, why not today? Make that decision. If you’re in a deep, deep hole then call someone! If you’re reading this and you realize that you’re in that state, reach out to someone and talk about it. That’s the way you get out. The liberation comes from breaking the isolation. Reach out to anyone and tell them what’s going on and it will help take you out of depression… Then get into action!
But the most important thing about this application is becoming aware of when we’re falling into that hole before we get too far in. Reach out for help. That’s why we need others… Others need us… Other people need to know we have hard times, also. We can’t be perfect all the time so don’t let your ego get in the way either. Know where this place is in you. Self-explore and recognize what of your behavior is an indication that you are spiraling downward. Other people can offer solutions that we are too deep in the hole to find for ourselves. Always have a list of people to call. The reason we can stay in a state of depression for so long is that we allow ourselves to cross that line of thinking that we are not able to reach out for help. And when we get that help, we can’t hear it because we’ve taken ourselves so far down.
We are learning to recognize when we are getting to that point of crossing a line into a ‘hole’ by observing our behavior. We must be cognizant that a sad state can get worse by not taking action while it is not so severe. We are learning the patterns of taking ourselves down, and learning to lift ourselves back up.
I was talking to someone and they helped me to recognize that we can get into this place, this hole, and it is so simple to break by just remembering all the good things we have in our lives. How do we get out of holes? Remember the good things. It’s not all bad… Only take note of the good things, the assets, in your life.
If you’re in a state of sadness right now take this discipline and follow this direction: write down all the stuff that’s good in your life… Every day, all day. Make a conscious effort to think about things that you do love about your life, the good things that are in your life. Do this for one week and watch and see if you don’t feel better at the end of the week. No matter what your mind tells you, no matter how much you think it’s not helping, just do it. Keep doing it. Keep thinking about only the things you care about. Connect to it emotionally. Don’t just think about it but connect to it with energy. Emotion is energy. Use your energy to connect to the good things in your life. Even if it is one thing, find it and focus your energy for one whole day. Stay on this discipline for one week. Don’t falter… You know you will struggle, that you won’t want to do it, but do it and stay with it. Call someone and tell that person about the good things that are in your life. And when you get up and out, learn to recognize how you got there so you can be aware and stop yourself from ever going there again.
Much love,
K.C.
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