Ok, so it’s the first time I will have flown since being in the hospital for depression. I am an avid adventurer and have been flying for over 50 years. I remember when people smoked on a plane. I remember pre 9/11 security and when we called flight attendants “stewardesses.” Giving up control to the…
Tag: anxiety
Can I really take the weekend off?
I don’t know about this. Taking two days to spend with family visiting from out of town? Not going to my day job because I requested off. Not going into my home office and writing? Not worrying about mowing the south 40, or edging around the porch with the weed eater? How is that even…
Why didn’t I know it’s a compass for living?
It’s easy to blame others. It’s easy for me to be defensive when someone I love questions my answer. My mind is often three to five steps ahead before the person even gets the entire sentence out of their mouth. I am time traveling and living in the future. It is a competition to get…
What do you know, it really is not about me?
I get so caught up in myself. An unhelpful thought pops into my head and the next thing I know, I am off living in the future. I had been concerned about having my work email on my phone. Finding excuses and reasons why I could not get it set up gave me control over…
Why can’t he count? – My Road Rage continues
This frustration is getting to be a thing with me. I have written about it twice before. I have thought about it and put it through my WRAP plan checklist to see if I could figure out why I am feeling frustrated while driving. As I’ve said, I had gotten over this once before. And…
One day isn’t a pattern, is it?
Ok, I know to look at the big picture. I know that the road forward is not a straight line. I know that my recovery from depression will have tough days and smooth days. I have developed and attracted a support group to help me stay on track. I have collected tools to help me…
22 Coping Statements That Will Make You Less Anxious
Coping statements are another way to frame your thinking. When we worry about things that we are expecting to happen, anxiety can twist a simple thought into a fear-inducing stress producing nightmare. It’s easy to laugh at Mark Twain’s observation about himself. “I have experienced a great many bad things in my lifetime, some of…
I stopped playing music when I’m driving
Silence was my only friend while driving. It wasn’t always like that. I remember buying a power booster for a Dodge Ram Charger I owned. I mounted two speakers in frames on either side of the back seat. I had an 8-track and a stereo cassette player mounted under the dash. I loved to roll…
Hurry up and wait
That’s how I am beginning to feel. As I get a better understanding of depression and my responsibilities for keeping it under control, I am slowing down. This is new to me. Being very competitive, I am always measuring things. How many steps to the top entrance to the building, how many tiles on the…
Am I ready to radically accept depression?
Radical acceptance means looking at yourself and the situation and seeing it as it really is. My goal with acknowledging depression is to not let it boss me around anymore. I am working on learning coping skills and avoiding unhelpful thinking styles. In the past few weeks, I have had small challenges that depression has…
