Every day, I put out the written word to bring others inspiration, hope, and joy. This takes me to the news from yesterday. With the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, many people are depressed and are unsure as to how to handle their emotions. What can I say to assist them?

When I was depressed and suicidal twenty-five years ago, no matter how much I wanted not to be, I remained sad, stuck, and felt powerless. I tried anti-depressants and psychotherapy. In spite of these interventions, I still wanted to end my life. Today, I’m here to say that I’m the positive person I am because of the therapy I did, and, at the end of the day, I decided to turn my life around.

I wanted to be happy and well; I did the therapeutic emotional hard work; I believed I could have a joyful life, and yet I had to take action. And to be blunt, life handed me the action I needed. In my case, I ended a long-term relationship, and physically moving out, learning to take care of all my needs from sorting my socks to getting my mail read by someone else, was the best medicine for my soul and life.

As a former psychotherapist, I often say, alignment, attitude, and action are the steps I attribute to living a long-fulfilled life.

How do you know you are in alignment? Easy. Are you happy? If not, you most likely aren’t. That is the first step in coping and getting on the other side of depression.

To the depressed folks out there, here are four things that may assist you:

#1: Passion. Find what brings you joy, and do that. Play piano, take a walk, cook, or play games over the internet. Put your focus on what you like to do, and keep doing it.

#2: Physical. Do some physical activity every day. exercise, take a walk, dance. Get your feelings out of your head and body. Make sure you get up, dress daily, and follow a routine. Take control over one area of your life.

#3: Talk to someone. If that feels uncomfortable, even talking out loud to a second chair talking first from one perspective then switching places and talking from the other can work wonders. You may feel self-conscious doing this; however, this is a great way to see the other side of feelings or issues.

#4: Journal. I am a definite proponent of journaling. Get your thoughts out of your head. Writing for thirty minutes a day can provide much needed clarity. A great book on this is Julia Cameron’s “The Artists Way.”

Depression is hard to climb out from. It doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient with yourself. The thing is, keep on keeping on. Keep reading, talking, writing, running,

And keep going. You will make it through. Giving up isn’t an option. You have it within you. There is a reason you are on the planet.

Now this will sound like I’m tooting my own horn, and yet, if I had killed myself twenty five years ago, I wouldn’t have built my Habitat for Humanity house, published my memoir, been crowned Ms. Colorado senior America, won fourth place in the national Ms. Senior America pageant, gone to Australia in February, been privileged to work with my Seeing Eye dogs, Kamber, Vinnie, and Sarge, met all the amazing people in my life who are currently supporting me and I cherish as friends, and most importantly, I wouldn’t be writing these blogs.

You never know what is in store for you. What I know is, you are gifted, divine, loved and put here at this time for a reason. Dig deep, get assistance, and remember, as a friend of mine told me when I was going through my suicidal thoughts, “The deeper you swim, the higher you’ll fly.”

I’m here for you, and if you want to contact me, I’d be glad to assist you in flying together. Email me anytime or pick up the phone and give me a call.