I Found the Secret to My Success While Overcoming my Depression

“When you discover something that nourishes your soul and brings you joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.” — Jean Shinoda Bolen

We are in the midst of a mental health crisis in our country, and unfortunately, there still exists a stigma about mental health.

We can talk to each other about our projects, coworkers, families, and even the details of our relationships. But, the craziness that goes on inside our heads is off-limits for some reason.

We learn early in life to feel ashamed if there’s anything?“abnormal”?about?us — as if anyone really knows or understands what normal is?

Unfortunately, over 50% of the people who have a mental illness (like depression or anxiety) go undiagnosed. I was diagnosed with depression 23 years ago.

I was having problems sleeping; I was pessimistic about everything in my life; I was unsuccessful in my career, tired all of the time, angry at life, had a severe weight problem, and often thought my family would be better off if I were dead.

If you’ve been there or are there now, you know what I mean. You’re afraid to say too much because when you do, you hear your inner voice saying things like, “you’re so stupid; why would you tell someone that?”

Over the years, it chipped away at ME to the point that my whole life was circling the drain. I was ready to give up on everything. I am so grateful that I was able to find some answers from an amazing therapist and a strategy that worked for both my happiness and success.

My friends, if you’re looking for a?“quick, permanent cure,”?you’re out of luck; I don’t have one. But, if you are looking for a strategy that you can use to teach you how to enjoy happiness, live life to its fullest, and improve the quality of your life and success, then this is for you.

Happiness Doesn’t Happen by Chance.

Happiness doesn’t just happen; you have to work at it.” — Dalai Lama

Happiness doesn’t just happen; it’s achieved. It’s not something you’re born with or given; it’s something you acquire through hard work. Maybe if you’re like me, you weren’t blessed with a sunny personality, making it harder to be happy; it’s something you have to work at.

So then, how do you achieve happiness? It requires creating a strategy that helps you attain it. But for that to happen, you must first begin to see things and yourself as they are and be prepared to make changes where necessary.

You’re going to have to take a step back and truly examine your life. Do you feel safe and secure, content and calm? These are some of the basic building blocks for happiness.

What sort of impact are you having on the people around you? Is it positive or negative? Or are you just drifting through life, not making a difference in anyone or anything?

If you’re not making a positive difference, realize that YOU create the life you want to enjoy. You can add value to the lives of the people you care about by getting involved in the world around you.

Find ways to use YOUR skills to give back. Invest in people’s lives, coach a team, or start mentoring young men or women. Plug into meals on wheels, start teaching a class at your local YMCA, or volunteer at a homeless shelter.

Also, consider taking some time off from your busy schedule to be with yourself, whether in your garden, on a secluded beach, in the library, or alone in a forest.

Take some time to regain your sense of perspective and find your peace and calm. Find ways to feel safe and secure in who you are and where you’re going.

Approve of Yourself

You’ve been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try being approving of yourself and see what happens. — Louise L. Hay

Begin seeing yourself as happy and successful in life. Being comfortable with who you are and where your going keeps you from feeling as much anxiety and stress.

Ask yourself:

??Am I happy with my role in life and where I’m going — whether you’re a teacher, executive, business owner, or a stay-at-home parent?

? Am I doing my best in that role? If not, why not?

? Am I able to take pleasure and be happy with my success and other people’s success?

There are numerous ways to make your life fun, engaging, and educational. For example, if you’re a teacher, you can constantly update yourself on the latest teaching techniques and write excellent imaginative and creative lesson plans.

You want to be at a place where you never tell yourself that you know everything there is to know or be afraid of emulating those doing what you do better than you.

Never be at a place where you’re afraid to ask for help if you need it, especially if it makes you better and brighter!

Keep Moving Forward

“Life is like riding a bicycle; you must keep moving forward to keep your balance.”

— Albert Einstein

Moving forward is essential in life if you want to make healthy and prosperous progress. I know; sometimes it feels like you’re not accomplishing much. I’ve found that big things in life get done by taking little steps consistently and daily. There is NO need to worry; keep going.

Whatever you do, don’t give up, don’t stop. Keep moving no matter what the obstacles are, keep moving. It’s what keeps the hinges oiled, so to speak.

Perhaps you have some difficult project deadlines to meet or some long-term goals you’re working on for yourself. Focus on making daily progress, refuse to dilly-dally, and refuse to let a day go by that you don’t accomplish something.

When you’re stressed, your brain is saying,?“we’ve got a problem here that we need to solve,”?so it’s spinning. This is a great time to focus on taking action.

When you give yourself daily tasks to focus on, you’ll feel under control, calmer, and better able to deal with what’s stressing you out.

Do Something New and Fun!

“Life is too short to worry about stupid things. Have fun. Regret nothing, and don’t let people bring you down. Specialize in having fun.” — Anonymous.

Sometimes our thinking about what we consider fun changes when we’re feeling depressed. We stop ourselves from doing fun stuff because we believe we are not up for that right now.

Maybe you’ve developed old patterns and habits, and right now, you’re uncomfortable trying new things and having fun.

Let me encourage you to work hard at welcoming fun, laughter, and change into your life.

If you’re like I was, you’ll have to work hard at giving up old habits that aren’t serving me anymore and give up old ways of thinking that weren’t getting me anywhere.

Get outside into the sunshine! Sunlight and darkness trigger different hormones in your brain, and too much time spent inside significantly impacts your mood.

One of the hardest but most helpful things you can do to see yourself through depression is to find that strong support circle and spend time with the people you love and care about.

Schedule times to visit with family and friends or make plans to grab lunch with friends or coworkers so you have specific times and places to lean on other people when you’re feeling blue.

You will find out that some of these people have experienced depression themselves and can relate with you and share ideas on what has helped them in the past, not to mention being great at lending an ear.

Even when you don’t feel like it, or you feel too exhausted to engage with someone, try to spend a little time doing the things that bring you joy. This could be cooking a delicious meal, creating artwork, listening to music, journaling, or working on your car.

Eventually, you will enjoy these activities again and feel more like yourself each day.

Pay Attention to Your Health

“Self-care is never a selfish act — it is simply good stewardship of the only gift you have, the gift you were put on this earth to offer to others.” — Parker Palmer

It’s vital that you fully understand the condition of both your physical and mental health? Visit your doctor and ask for more information. Do your research. Don’t be afraid to find out the truth about mental health issues. This knowledge goes a long way in keeping you healthy.

A healthy mind in a healthy body!?We have all heard the saying, but do we live by it. We eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and practice an overall healthy lifestyle to keep ourselves physically fit, but do we pay enough attention to keeping our minds healthy?

Believe it or not, when you fail to nourish your mental health, it also reduces your productivity by making you lethargic and less inclined to participate in any physical activities. Being stressed or depressed due to the issues in life can significantly affect your productivity and functionality at work.

Staying healthy mentally and physically has everything to do with your mindset and discipline.

Remember, good health can only be achieved when you balance your mental and physical health. When either is compromised, your overall health starts to deteriorate. Stay physically and mentally healthy to ensure your overall well-being.

Nurture Your Spiritual Side

It’s having faith and enthusiasm for something that makes your life worth living. — Oliver Wendell Holmes

It’s normal to wish for peace and a life well-lived. If you have strong spiritual beliefs, you’ll have a stronger sense of purpose and fulfillment in your mature years.

Paying attention to your spiritual side enables you to be at peace with yourself and the world. It’s an age-old method that reduces stress levels, and it’s free; it doesn’t require a prescription and has zero side effects.

I call it?my?faith,?millions of people worldwide rely on it to see them through hard times. There is much scientific evidence that all say the same thing. Faith and spirituality are abstract concepts, but they lead to concrete results in mental health improvement and stress reduction.

Faith and spirituality are much more than just comforting rituals to religious individuals, and they have a positive impact on your mood, mindset, and mental health.

Faith generates optimism, enriches interpersonal relationships, creates support systems, and enhances your quality of life.

Faith is a belief or trust in God, while spirituality is an attachment to religious values. Whichever term you prefer, the concept can successfully reduce your stress and improve your quality of life.

Faith and spirituality provide you with a sense of purpose, allow you to connect to something greater than yourself, and enable you to release control, all essential to stress reduction.

Final Thoughts

Here’s the good news, the same energy, determination, creativity, and smarts you use to succeed in life are the same things you use to deal with depression and anxiety.

Successful people are adept at outlining goals, which is a real asset to the therapy used in our mental health. Thankfully, as more celebrities and successful people come forward with their depression and issues with mental health, the stigma is starting to fade.

To be successful, you must be good at taking risks and seeing potential where others don’t. This dose of optimism, dedication, and perseverance allows you to identify a better way and carry out the appropriate steps to get there.

In the same way, you can use those same strengths and skills to manage your mental health to live a happy, whole, meaningful, and successful life.

We all can!