Author – Paulyn Lloyd

Life can sometimes get on top of you and make you feel as if you have no hope and as a result you can start to feel depressed and powerless. But you may be feeling depressed but you are not powerless.

If you want to begin to feel better then first you need to just put your worries aside for a second.

I know it’s easier said than done but just trust me on this one.

Get a pen and paper and write down the things that you have in your life to be grateful for. Even if it’s as simple as running water, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, eyes to be able to read this etc, etc. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything else that you have to be grateful for. Have a think about this and think about how lucky you are to have these things.

Now take a fresh sheet of paper and write down all the things that you appreciate about yourself. What’s great about you? Are you a good friend? A great listener? Maybe you’re really good at drawing or a great cook? Be honest because if you look hard enough there is something amazing about all of us. Again keep writing until you can’t think of anymore or your arm hurts through writing whichever comes first.

Now just think about these things, who you are as a person and what you have to be grateful for and you should begin to feel a heck of a lot better. There is always a way out, you just need to believe in it. Do not beat yourself up over what you haven’t done just give yourself credit for what you have done. Don’t ponder of what you haven’t got, be grateful for what you have and I assure you, you will start to feel a whole lot better.

When you begin to feel better you will feel more motivated and like you can do more but you have to start with yourself. Do something you enjoy, put on some music you love and start to dance or a comedy. But shake off them blues because they don’t change anything they don’t help anyone least of all you.

Keep your chin up because you have plenty to be grateful for it’s just sometimes hard to see this when you are feeling down. When you start believing that you can feel better you will start feeling better.

Start with a smile, just a little one and then feel it deep inside your soul till you’re grinning like a Cheshire cat. Smiling helps shift your emotions and your mood. You deserve to feel better, the fact that you’re reading this tells me you want to. So go on, enjoy yourself do something fun.

Then I thought of my amazing wife. I call her amazing because she is! She goes out running every morning with her running partner Ramona, no matter what. Rain, sleet, snow, wind, darkness or extreme cold doesn’t stop her. As I looked out the window this morning I knew that my wife was already out there in this miserable storm doing a 10-mile run.

So with that thought I forced myself to get on my hiking gear and drove up to the trailhead for my hike. I pulled on my rain poncho and headed up the trail. By this time it was beginning to get light.

Yesterday I shared some photos of the beautiful fall colors I encountered on a recent hike. Today I was met first with rain and then with SNOW! Since the leaves haven’t all fallen yet they were covered with a heavy coating of wet snow. This weighed the branches down causing them to bend across the trail. It made it a challenge for me to plow through the branches that were blocking my path.

Of course the wet snow soaked my legs and arms that weren’t covered by my rain poncho. So I was cold and wet and you would think – miserable. But I wasn’t miserable! In fact I had a great time. It was a fabulous morning. I loved the crisp air and the snow covered trees.

There is something magical about the combination of exercising your body and being out in nature. You just can’t help but feel good. I noticed as I came down the mountain that I had a huge grin on my face. It came so easily and naturally. It just couldn’t be helped.

It makes me wonder how much depression in the world could be alleviated by being on a program such as this. Instead of drugs and counseling, perhaps all that many people need is daily exercise and a daily experience among God’s creations. What a concept! Maybe you should give it a try.

Have a great day!

Copyright © 2008 Gary N. Larson