When I committed to healing myself of Major Depressive Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so that I could be the mother that my toddler deserved, I had no idea how I would accomplish that goal.
I never tried medications to treat either mental illness, because I took a class on physiological psychology in college and came out of it convinced that psychiatric drugs were too new. Allowing a psychiatrist to experiment with my brain chemistry seemed to me a bigger risk than living with the disorders.
I thought that if I could just live on my own, by my own rules, the symptoms would fade away.
I was wrong.
Ten years later I found myself a homeless single mother with a spirited toddler. I knew I needed help, but I still didn't trust psychologists or psychiatric drugs.
I started reading the works of Louise Hay and Leonie Allen, and watching films like The Secret and What the Bleep Do We Know. Concepts from all of those sources swirled with many more concepts from my studies in biology, anthropology, and language and with my spiritual, intuitive, and metaphysical experiences. Those concepts led me to my customized healing path, which I modified as I progressed.
One of the first changes that I made in my habits was to stop watching and reading the news, stop watching dramas on tv and in the movies, and avoid music and books that could trigger depressive or anxious episodes. My goal was to change my beliefs about my own life and about the "real world."
I reached that goal.
Nearly two years later, I have conquered the Major Depressive Disorder that blighted the first thirty years of my life. I still avoid watching and reading "news." I find out about tragedies because I have a few facebook friends who post that stuff whom I love too much to hide from my newsfeed. :)
Sometimes a little voice in my head accuses me of being irresponsible by not keeping up with the "news."
I remind that little voice, that the "news" is not an accurate reflection of what is going on in this world.
Every moment of every day, many people are suffering horrors and tragedies that many other people could never imagine.
Every moment of every day, many people are experiencing miracles, blessings, and unconditional love that many other people could never imagine.
I never tried medications to treat either mental illness, because I took a class on physiological psychology in college and came out of it convinced that psychiatric drugs were too new. Allowing a psychiatrist to experiment with my brain chemistry seemed to me a bigger risk than living with the disorders.
I thought that if I could just live on my own, by my own rules, the symptoms would fade away.
I was wrong.
Ten years later I found myself a homeless single mother with a spirited toddler. I knew I needed help, but I still didn't trust psychologists or psychiatric drugs.
I started reading the works of Louise Hay and Leonie Allen, and watching films like The Secret and What the Bleep Do We Know. Concepts from all of those sources swirled with many more concepts from my studies in biology, anthropology, and language and with my spiritual, intuitive, and metaphysical experiences. Those concepts led me to my customized healing path, which I modified as I progressed.
One of the first changes that I made in my habits was to stop watching and reading the news, stop watching dramas on tv and in the movies, and avoid music and books that could trigger depressive or anxious episodes. My goal was to change my beliefs about my own life and about the "real world."
I reached that goal.
Nearly two years later, I have conquered the Major Depressive Disorder that blighted the first thirty years of my life. I still avoid watching and reading "news." I find out about tragedies because I have a few facebook friends who post that stuff whom I love too much to hide from my newsfeed. :)
Sometimes a little voice in my head accuses me of being irresponsible by not keeping up with the "news."
I remind that little voice, that the "news" is not an accurate reflection of what is going on in this world.
Every moment of every day, many people are suffering horrors and tragedies that many other people could never imagine.
Every moment of every day, many people are experiencing miracles, blessings, and unconditional love that many other people could never imagine.
Keeping myself informed about things that upset me doesn't help anyone, least of all me.
The news I choose to share is always about positive changes and celebrations of the good things in life. That is the news I care about, and I want to hear more because that kind of news inspires me to make more positive changes. I share it because I hope it helps others stay positive too.
I have a lot of friends who are journalists and activists, people who think it is their responsibility to wake the rest of the world up about the horrible crap that goes on both behind the scenes and in plain sight.
I would propose that more changes can be made by sharing positive stories than by sharing upsetting ones.
Say you want to remember those poor people who were murdered recently. You can share one of many articles or images that inspires grief, horror, anger, fear, or cynicism.
Or.
You could share a story or image that encourages people to take care of each other. You could donate to a cause, volunteer your time or other resources, or do any one thing, big or small, to make a positive change in this world, and by doing so, inspire other people to do the same. <3
I have a lot of friends who are journalists and activists, people who think it is their responsibility to wake the rest of the world up about the horrible crap that goes on both behind the scenes and in plain sight.
I would propose that more changes can be made by sharing positive stories than by sharing upsetting ones.
Say you want to remember those poor people who were murdered recently. You can share one of many articles or images that inspires grief, horror, anger, fear, or cynicism.
Or.
You could share a story or image that encourages people to take care of each other. You could donate to a cause, volunteer your time or other resources, or do any one thing, big or small, to make a positive change in this world, and by doing so, inspire other people to do the same. <3
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