“Am I depressed?” This is the question that sad people may ask themselves when they feel at loss as to what they can do about it. Sadness, however, is a normal feeling. Even overwhelming sadness is standard to someone who has just experienced the death of a loved one. Sadness though becomes abnormal when it comes out of the blue and the person can’t really explain the reason for his despair. “Am I depressed?” then becomes an inquiry that signifies that it may be crucial for an individual to see a doctor who has the authority to address his concerns. Some of the things that doctors may say about depression are as follows:
• Characteristics of depression include persistent feelings of inadequacy, a low mood and a general loss of interest in pleasurable things. People who are troubled by the disorder don’t necessarily ask themselves “Am I depressed?” but because they may not understand how they feel, it’s possible for them to not know what they should do about it. It’s important for those around them to help them by communicating and bringing to their attention the availability of health services for their distress.
• Some of the factors that affect depression are negative thinking and low self-esteem. Because of this, there are mental health facets that try to encourage individuals who may be on the verge of depression to engage in self-esteem activities that can boost this aspect of their personalities.
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Danielle is gifted with artistic hands that could put Picasso and Da Vinci at bay. Her paintings are full of life and are all original masterpieces. Ever since she was a child, Danielle has always dreamed of becoming a painter and owning an art studio – a dream that was far from the law firm that her family ran.
Today Danielle is a zombie working for her family’s law firm. Although she has good job performance, she just couldn’t put her heart and soul in it. She took up law after college because her father encouraged her to take a more ‘sensible’ path. The field demanded much of her time that she stopped painting, stopped practicing her art and stopped living her dream.
As Danielle’s best friend, I couldn’t bear to see her watch her life pass her by. I knew that I had to do something. I had to remind her of how different she was before. Then, she was teeming with life and pulsating with motivation. Now, she is as animated as a brick. I had to motivate her once more. While cooking up ideas on how to help Danielle, I remembered that Montaigne once said ‘The pleasant things in the world are pleasant thoughts: and the great art of life is to have as many of them as possible.’ So I bought my friend a book compilation on motivational thoughts.
Here are some examples of the motivational thoughts contained in the book:
• It’s YOUR Life, Live BIG – Josh Hind. If you want to eventually succeed, you need to do things that would move you closer to it. You just can’t dilly-dally and drag your feet around. However, if your dream is consists entirely of watching TV for hours on end, then by all means, drag your feet as much as you can.
• There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. You’re a service company with a single employee! Being in autopilot will lead you no where near success. Who is responsible for your success? Look in the mirror. Don’t settle on being a follower—be a lifelong learner and leader.
• In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity – Albert Einstein. Tomas Alva Edison made 10, 000 wrong choices in the process of making the incandescent bulb. His only reply was that he now knew ten thousand ways by which it cannot be done.
I walked in on Dino doing the craziest thing I have ever seen—saying HI to the sun! When Dino caught me staring at him aghast, he blurted out, “What? This is my self-esteem activity for the day!”
I would have thought Dino was just getting in touch with his schizophrenic tendencies. But when Dino began explaining to me about his so-called self esteem activities, I began to think that maybe I am the one with schizophrenic tendencies for not knowing about them. According to Dino, self esteem activities are simple activities that help individuals build self-esteem in just an hour a day. They help reaffirm one’s worth and increase self-confidence. Here are a few daily activities Dino sneaks in his everyday schedule to help him boost his self-esteem:
• Write down five things you’re good at and tack it on the ceiling. Give at least five minutes to read the words before starting the day.
• Keep a thought for a day calendar – you get a mouthful of uplifting messages along with your daily dosage of caffeine.
