thoughts/feelings/actions

Oh wow....have just had a little lightbulb moment...gosh i love the interweb!!!

Am just reading an article ( http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/644939/many_years_the_story_of_depression.html ) that sparked off a thought about what we feel, and that depression is about how we feel . It seems to tie in beautifully with my recent reading of Martin Seligman (famous non-Dr-Phil American Psychologist). We know that depression is feeling bad, sad, guilty, hopeless, helpless, tired etc etc...yuck. It's about how we feel. We know also that our thoughts influence greatly how we feel (you must all read Learned Optimism by Dr Seligman) and how we feel influences how we act, what we do. I think that the equation works in both directions, ie how we act influences how we feel, and how we feel influences what we think.

THOUGHTS <--> FEELINGS <--> ACTIONS

I have recently learned that no matter how i feel, if I act then i feel a lot better. And also, no matter how i feel, if I think more positively then i feel a lot better. I know that there are lots of people out there who hear the words 'think positive' and want to vomit....so I'm sorry! I'm not talking about pie-in-the-sky optimism...airy fairy stuff that is fantasy...I'm talking about evidence-based reality, like instead of: 'today has been such a crap day' try 'that was irritating when the kids went mental at the shops but the rest of the day was really nice'. I find that I sometimes weigh myself down with negativity...i make everything heavy and hard, but just trying to think differently makes things a lot lighter.

What is most important about all of this is bravery and courage. Acting when you are freaking out, thinking more positively when you are terrified. It's scary as hell, when all you want to do is hide....but it is truly amazing what you can actually get done when you try it, and it is truly amazing how much better you feel. We can have some measure of control over how we feel. And it's important to never give up, just keep swimming! I am reminded of one of my favourite quotes:

'Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying "I will try again tomorrow".' Mary Anne Radmacher.