I’ve always loved a good movie. Even a really bad one can be fun at times. I’ve found the better the movie, the more likely it is that I got completely absorbed into the story and forgot about ‘me’. For 2 hours I became absorbed in another reality.
Is our real life with the black dog really any different? We are in the movie that is our life, we over-identify with all the characters and emotions flickering before our eyes.
In honor of Halloween today’s post takes a little break from writing about the black dog of depression.
They say the difference between a real story and fairy tale is that a fairy tale starts out with “Once upon a time” and a real story starts out with “This is no shit!”
A woman I used to work with named Suzy told me when she was in High School her grandmother was ill and moved in with them. Grandma later died and shortly after that her family moved to a new house. Their old house sat empty & unsold for a while.
I came across this site the other day and really enjoyed it. Some of the articles are long but they’re all well worth your time.
About 4 years ago, around the time I found out my best friend was dying of cancer, I started to withdraw from a low-dose tranquilizer that I’d been on for many years. The doctor prescribed it at the time when my daughter first started to withdraw from me and the family so that I could get some sleep. He had assured me that it was safe and the possibilities for addiction were pretty much nil.
My daughter’s birthday was last month. She’s now 23 years old. The other day in the mail I received the birthday card that I’d sent to her in care of her grandparents (since I don’t know her address) marked ‘return to sender’ written in her mother’s handwriting. Ouch. Very Ouch.
Why her mother thinks it’s her place to do this I’ll never know. One thing is for sure, anyone who would do this to their own child is a very sick individual.
When I visited my father the other day I decided to try the video feature of my little digital camera. Dad was in a very good mood. Being in this particular home, where he gets a lot of personal attention, has really helped him a lot. He’s put on weight and his mood has stabilized.
For more of my adult life than I care to admit to, I’ve felt like a rudderless boat in a sea of emotion . . . searching for calm seas and a safe harbor.
“We are addicted to our emotions.” said my Tai Chi teacher Saturday morning as we were warming up. He was in a very talkative mood. It’s one of the many things I enjoy about his class. We talk about the mind/body connection, philosophy, religion, balancing life, etc. It’s never just mindlessly going through the motions.
What a great video of how positive psychology can change your life.
Professor Seligman’s Authentic Happiness website (registration required & is free).
It’s October now and that means it’s National Depression Awareness Month and October 4 was Depression Screening Day.
If you (or anyone one you know) think you may be depressed, please see your doctor right away. Do not wait for it to go away. Do not try to tough it out or pretend it’s not a problem. Be honest with yourself and your family and do yourself the honor of taking care of yourself - you deserve it.
Signs of the Black Dog
