A Few Thoughts...

[Oliver1970]

To start, honestly, I don't know what works or I wouldn't be here. But I love quotes and poetry, so here are a few things to think about.The first is this, regarding depression/anxiety:

It's not that I don't want to live, it's that I don't want the life I'm living.

It's an important distinction.

The second thing is about identifying ourselves as depressed, anxious, etc. Be careful about becoming the thing that hurts us. Remember to say, I'm whomever, and I have depression. Resist saying, I'm depressed. No one who has cancer ever says, I'm cancer.

The analogy that hit home for me was the sky and the clouds.

We are the sky, our depression/anxiety are the clouds. The clouds come and go, but the sky is always there when the clouds have passed.

Be kind to others, especially here. You never know what others are going through.

[Agora1]

Oliver, I am enlightened by your beautiful post..

What a positive way to start my day.

Your last sentence speaks volumes as we never do

know what someone is going through.

Extending kindness can go a long way for both the

person as well as yourself.

Making it a great day starts with ourselves. xx

[Oliver1970 in reply to Agora1]

Being grateful, showing gratitude, extending kindness was one of the best lessons I took away from my first round on HU. It forces you to think about others rather than wallow in self pity.

The act of caring for others subconsciously shows up as self love. Simply, I can't be the terrible person I keep telling myself that I am if I care about others and what they're going through.

[AlwaysSweet]

Thank you for the beautiful message. I will definitely be mindful of how I speak. I definitely needed to read this today ❤️

[Oliver1970 in reply to AlwaysSweet]

These small things that resonate with me, seem to help. I'm guilty of allowing myself to identify as depressed for most of my life, unable to realize that depression is only a small part of me.

I have depression. But I am not depressed.

Thank you for your kindness.

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Oliver1970]

The distinction is profound. I want to remember that.

[gajh]

Excellent post! Thank you.

[Oliver1970 in reply to gajh]

You're welcome. Thank you for your kindness.

[Dolphin14]

Oliver1970

Wonderful post

Thank you

🐬

[Oliver1970 in reply to Dolphin14]

You're welcome, as well. Thank you for your kindness.

[Starrlight]

I really like your analogy.

[Oliver1970 in reply to Starrlight]

I wish I could claim it. It's just a short clip from YouTube that I've had saved for years.But it makes sense to me and has helped me to separate myself from my depression/anxiety.

Just the simple change of learning to say, "I have depression" as opposed to saying "I'm depressed."

I thought it might help others.

Thank you for your kindness.

[Starrlight in reply to Oliver1970]

It’s brilliant, thanks for sharing it with us. I’m going to keep this in my mind so I can use it to help myself and others struggling.

[Oliver1970 in reply to Starrlight]

Does HU allow posting the link? I'd be happy to share it. It's much more eloquent than what I expressed.

[Starrlight in reply to Oliver1970]

Yes you can post it. It is allowed.

[Oliver1970 in reply to Starrlight]

youtu.be/ykvC3QXJb18?si=pIt...(Not working as expected?)

Thank you. Please let me know if this works.

[Starrlight in reply to Oliver1970]

Yup it works!

[Oliver1970 in reply to Starrlight]

Well, as my 8th grade teacher used to say "If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished."Thank you. I hope you find your peace.

[Starrlight in reply to Oliver1970]

Love it 🥰 thank you and best to you!

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Oliver1970]

I have depression too. Thank you.

[Oliver1970 in reply to Nothing_but_books]

Your more than welcome. Every little bit helps.

[CLB1125]

It's not that I don't want to live, it's that I don't want the life I'm living.

This one hits the nail on the head for me!

Thanks for posting