“I once went down into the black hole of depression”, a close friend revealed to me recently. “I was scared of everything, always negative, and had no appetite for food or life. I’m determined to never go there again.” That clear determination has never wavered. She pulled herself out of those dark feelings and showed that to be determined is good for your health.
What prompted my friend to escape from the clutches of depression? It was the moment when she realized that her unhappy mental state was worrying her children. “Right then”, she said “I knew I had to work harder.” So she decided to get out of the ever-deepening abyss of black thinking by being proactive – being determined to explore every avenue aimed at achieving mental and emotional freedom.
Listen to positive messages. Be encouraged.
In speaking of her journey out of the “pit of gloom”, my friend recalled one of her more unusual approaches to achieving good mental health. “I used to watch an American preacher on afternoon TV. She spoke about taking responsibility for your own emotions and to focus on pampering yourself into being healthy again – not to rely on medication to do it all for you. She helped me a lot because I could relate to her words of encouragement.”
TIP:
● Listen to words of encouragement. Be heartened by them.
● Replace negative thoughts with positive, healthy ones.
● Don’t ruminate, reiterate or speculate over dark thoughts, or wonder where they come from.
● Cultivate happiness and health by celebrating the little victories in life.
● Follow Dr Susan Weinschenk’s advice and “take time to notice the things that go right” – a smile from a stranger, an unexpected thank you. Doing this, “means we’re getting a lot of little rewards throughout the day. That can help with our moods.”
Break open the gloom. Persevere.
Often dark thinking can appear to be as solid as a rock. Despite one’s best efforts it can seemingly remain unbreakable. Yet constant blows of optimistic, positive, and yes, even spiritual thinking, can crack apart those negative feelings. It just takes determined perseverance
There’s a story of a man who wanted to break up a large rock in his garden. Although he struck it 100 times with a sledge hammer, the rock remained intact. Finally, he gave up in frustration. A neighbour who’d been watching him asked if he could have a go. He hit the rock. Instantly it fell apart. “How come I couldn’t crack it open?” the man cried. “Well”, replied the neighbour, “actually you did all the hard work. If you’d just persevered and given it one last blow, you’d have cracked it open yourself.”
TIP:
● Persevere. Remain determined to succeed.
● Enact the proverb, “If at first you don’t succeed try, try again.”
● Don’t be defeatist. Keep going. Stay mentally active.
● Keep your mental eye on the high goal. Don’t count your footsteps in getting there.
Be tortoise-like. Succeed
Sometimes slow progress can lead to discouragement. This can emotionally hamper one’s efforts to overcome despondency. However, not feeling fast enough on one’s mental feet, doesn’t mean failure. It’s possible to take up the challenge and beat the blues.
One of Aesop’s famous fables illustrates this point. A slow moving tortoise who was continually teased by a fast-running hare, challenged him to a race. The hare, who was sure he’d win, took a nap, stopped for breakfast, then fell asleep. He woke up just in time to see the tortoise cross the finish line ahead of him.
The encouraging message of this story could be this: a slow but steady-as-you-go mental action, wins the day. It’s successful. This highlights the prize-winning combination of steadfast determination and calm persistence.
TIP:
● Be a winner over dejection. Be determined.
● Be firm, unwavering in your resolve to win the prize of good mental health and happiness.
● Be one of those individuals who either, “gain good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and yield not to discouragement.” (Science and Health p. 254, Mary Baker Eddy)
● Believe that through determined, hope-filled thinking, you will emerge triumphant.
I’m a professional Christian Science Practitioner and Teacher. Through my prayer-based practice, I help people find happiness, health and healing.
Thank you Beverly for your wise counsel. I am a person who finds it very easy to succumb to the ‘what ifs’ of life and the problem that although I believe myself to be a good person I actually am far from that very often although I do not mean to be. This type of thinking puts one into a downward spiral and your kind thoughts show that one can pull out of the spiral. Particularly in the example of children affected as it is so important to be there for the people in your life rather than drift off into ruminating, causing yourself despair and being apathetic with your loved ones.
Thank you Susan for your comment. I am glad that you found the ideas in my article helpful. I am quite sure that you are very good person. Dark thinking can never change that fact. Yes, my friend’s determination to get out of the “pit of gloom” she was in, is encouraging. Her success meant a lot to her children. They helped her and were so glad to see her happy and full of life once more. It’s an achievement which everyone can aspire to.
Thank you again Beverly. I too have found being determined and persevering is good for your health. During a particular experience, where dark and fearful thoughts tried to overwhelm me, I found by looking at all the positives I could express right in the midst of those depressive thoughts, such as courage, gratitude, and even patience, enabled me to see that there was so much more good going on (positive) than the bad (negative) that seemed to be present. Persevering and being determined to hold on to all this good that I could see and was in fact experiencing right then and there, eventually resulted in peace of mind and freedom.
Thank you Anne for your comment. I am so pleased that you found freedom from overwhelming dark and fearful thoughts by holding on to the good that you could see was present in your life. Well done. Being determined and persevering is definitely good for your health.
Thanks for your tips and anecdotes. They’re just what I needed to read right now. They’ve encouraged me to keep on keeping on! I intend being more determined in my approach to everyday activities by adhering more to good intentions and actions that will benefit both me and those with whom I associate. I like to think of “determination” and “receptivity” as going hand-in-hand. I’ve found that when my thought is receptive to good ideas, I gain the patience and confidence to persevere in my efforts for achieving particular goals or outcomes. That approach helps me to maintain a healthy mental state when I’m faced with demanding circumstances. And gratitude for every good idea that comes to thought also helps to activate me in my daily pursuits.
Thank you Ed your comment warms my heart. Being determined and persevering does indeed benefit you and everyone you come in contact with. It lifts your thinking and improves your mental wellbeing. Keep up your good work.