Depression is a tricky thing. It begins with an event or the remembrance of an event brought on perhaps by a song or a smell or a sight that sparks the memory. This in turn sets the ego on fire with a stream of negative thinking. We mistake the ego for who we really are, continuing to feed it with more negativity. Eventually our mental anguish can begin to feel comfortable in its familiarity. By this time, we have given our ego full license to do as it pleases, which is to make us feel miserable. The only way out of this vicious downward spiral is to remove one’s self from the rushing torrent of negativity. The best place to start, if weather permits, is to step outside and to literally, physically remove your person from the confined space where the morbid thoughts began. There is more light outside and therefore, there is more light inside of us. The dark thoughts cannot survive in the light, so filling our souls with light is the way to drown the dark thoughts that try to haunt us. Walking in nature, gardening, observing and caring for animals and wildlife, or simply sitting and observing nature are the best therapies one can invest in and they are completely free.
In the movie Gone with the Wind, Scarlett O’Hara said, when faced with an unpleasant dilemma, “I won’t think about that right now. I will think about that tomorrow.” I am not sure if those were the exact words, but I have adopted them as my own way of dealing with crisis and challenging situations. I used to think that this was something like avoidance and that her statement was the result of a frivolous and naïve woman; but now that I am older, I have decided that this attitude actually contains a profound nugget of wisdom. Tomorrow has not arrived, so it does us no good to fret about a future that does not yet exist. Our only concern should be to make the best of the current moment.
I am fortunate because the things that I enjoy the most involve spending time out of doors. While I have numerous things that I could easily become depressed about, I simply do not have the time. My gardening, caring for the wild birds and raising baby chickens is a full time job for me. I know that summer is here for only a short time and I will have to make new decisions and perhaps more changes by the end of the year; but for now I will adopt my Scarlett O’Hara syndrome. I will not worry about tomorrow, today. I will think about tomorrow when tomorrow arrives.
