Self-Hatred Perspective

“‘What do you think about self-hatred?’ I asked when it was my turn to bring up an issue for discussion. I was eager to get directly to the suffering I had seen so often in my students, a suffering I was familiar with myself. The room went quiet as all of us awaited the answer of the Dalai Lama, revered leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Looking startled, he turned to his translator and asked pointedly in Tibetan again and again for an explanation. Finally, turning back to me, the Dalai Lama tilted his head, his eyes narrowed in confusion. ‘Self-hatred?’ he repeated in English. ‘What is that?’”

        - Sharon Salzberg

CLICK HERE for full a list of Sharon Salzberg's philosophical influences.

The Winter Blues?

Per the Mayo Clinic:

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons — seasonal affective disorder (SAD) begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. These symptoms often resolve during the spring and summer months. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer and resolves during the fall or winter months.

Treatment for SAD may include light therapy (phototherapy), psychotherapy and medications.

Don't brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the "winter blues" or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.

Click HERE for detailed Mayo Clinic information on symptoms, causes, prevention and more.

Depression Defined

What is depression?

“Almost everyone feels down from time to time... Clinical depression is different.”

CLICK HERE to watch a short TED Talk video breaking down what depression is.

Get Help!

Get help.

If you just can't shake your depression and it's impacting your life, like causing you to miss work or avoid time with your family, get help!

But you've tried that before and it didn't work? Or you don't need help. Or you're afraid people will judge you. Or…

Drop the excuses and do this for you. Just for you. Get help.

The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil

I'm not sure that's the case, but money -- the need for money and the lack of it, the money game -- can get into your head and mess with your self esteem.

If that is an issue for you, just for January, make a budget and stick to it.

For 30 days. You can do anything for 30 days.

It's a New Year!

On January 1, 2021 I posted "So Long, Farewell... And Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out!" 

And then came January 6th. Talk about depressing.

IMHO starting a new year is now rife with trepidation. Yet, I also know we can find joy and hope and love in any situation, and when something truly awful happens I know it will get better.

So let's raise a glass to 2024! I won't say it can't be any worse, because I know better than to tempt fate. But it CAN be spectacular for us personally -- with a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work we can keep depression at bay. Most of the time, anyway. 

Love yourself through your struggles, and know that there is always hope. Oh, and one more perhaps pointless platitude:

Happy New Year!

It's Time to Start a New Chapter!

You've made it through another year! Woo hoo!

It's time for reflections and resolutions. Did you hit any rough patches you weren't sure you could navigate? Are you still hanging on by a thread from the turmoil of the past few years?

Were there moments of hope and clarity this year when you knew you were coping with your depression productively and were staying mentally healthy? Or moving toward mental health?

What worked? What definitely did not work?

The bottom line is, whether you learned any lessons or not, whether you had a fairly easy time or the worst year of your life, you are still here! You are coping with depression!

And you can do it next year, too. One foot in front of the other. You've got this!

Resolutions?

Are you ready to make your New Year's resolution to get healthier next year?

Given that it's the holiday season and we tend to indulge in sugary treats more than usual, let's try this one resolution: Try to cut down on refined sugar in 2024.

There are connections between sugar and many diseases; sugar increases the risks for depression and diabetes, and contributes to systemic inflammation.

Most of us in the Western world consume way more sugar than is recommended by doctors and dietitians. The hills and valleys of energy and emotion caused by indulging in refined sugar are major contributors to depression.

One resolution! I know you can do it.

Quit What Isn't Working

Albert Einstein did NOT say “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.” 

A character in the 1983 Rita Mae Brown mystery Sudden Death uttered the phrase. You learn something new every day!

Whoever said it, we all tend to forget it (over and over again).

If you suffer from depression and repeatedly find yourself in situations that are frustrating and depressing, analyze why. What are you doing that isn't working?

Try to replace behaviors that no longer serve you with new inspirations and creative approaches.