If you had said to me at the peak of my suffering that it would be the best thing to happen, I would have thought you were mad.
If you had told me then that it would transform my life, change the direction of my career and enhance my relationships with my children and loved ones I would never have believed you.

But this is exactly what happened. I was stressed, highly anxious and thoroughly depressed at my worst. I never realised that this experience was a blessing! Up until this point I had been sleep walking through my life and it was the wake-up call I needed.

The majority of people fear anxiety and depression in their lives!

The Status Quo on Depression

I believe we have been led to believe that anxiety and depression are caused by genetic defects or brain diseases. Those that question the mainstream medical conclusions are classed as charlatans or “anti-psychiatry”. They are met with fierce opposition!

Those that are suffering are led to believe that there are forces out of themselves that cause their condition. The vulnerable are informed by those in positions of power that there is something “wrong” with them. This allows the status quo to remain.

Why keep the status quo even if there other more helpful ways to heal?

The current system leads people to believe that they are not in control of their own life. This encourages dependencies on people, professionals, medications and whatever else is needed to manage on a daily basis.

This approach effectively encourages a victim mentality. Allowing people to believe they are victims and need a quick fix solution. What we don’t realise is this approach keeps people “locked” in the depression and anxiety cycle.

We have disempowered those that need to be empowered. We have perpetuated a life of fear rather than providing hope to those who need it most.

The Truth

However, anxiety and depression are effectively emotional difficulties. They are a direct result of the way we live our lives. More often than not, they are caused by either mental, physical or emotional stress in our lives.

They are a sign that it is time to make changes! Changes that we as individuals are more than capable of doing with support from others. We are responsible for everything that is happening in our own life.

There is not some inexplicable reason for anxiety and depression. There is not a quick fix and certainly not a magic pill that you can take to cure it. You have to unravel the decisions and patterns that have lead you to this place.

My own plight with anxiety and depression was a particularly challenging time. The symptoms that I experienced came on fast and furious. It was completely debilitating and left me at rock bottom.

I am thankful that I did not accept the status quo. I did not have anyone speaking LIFE in to me at that time. I did not realise it, but my refusal to give my power away allowed me to speak life into myself.

I believe it is more than possible to be free from anxiety and depression. I believe is possible to overcome fears that rule your life. When you take control of your own life, despite your difficulties something wonderful happens.

I grew in confidence and self belief. This was the biggest gift I gave to myself. I started to grow and not only did I escape anxiety and depression cycles, I start to live my life. I now live a full life, one in which I feel happy and fulfilled.

The Dark

Does this mean that I don’t experience dark or difficult times? No, not at all, life is a mixture of ups and downs. We are human beings and this is perfectly natural. We are often not aware of this and we want to avoid feeling down or sad.

We are afraid to be open and honest when we feel like this. What we don’t realise is that our fear of dealing with our negative emotions can actually bring on anxiety and depression! Just as what Carl Jung had famously quoted, “What you resist persists”.

Once we remove the many fears we have about anxiety and depression i.e. that we are ill or that we will never get better we can learn to embrace these moments. When we embrace our negative emotions and go with the feelings, we naturally move through them far quicker.

I have come to a point in my life that I am now fully aware that these moments of despair are in fact break-through moments. Now I am not afraid to feel what I feel, I fully enter into the dark night of the soul, albeit not quite as often or as long. When I emerge from the other side there is always a clearer view of the way forward.

In these moments I have received my biggest inspiration. I neither wish to distract myself from or to avoid these times. I believe you too can learn to welcome the learning that these moments offer.

This is not new information! The most successful people in the world are fully aware of the growth that can occur in difficult times. Napoleon Hill, famous author of Think and Grow Rich tells “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit”. The difference is these people learn how to work through their adversities.

...[ Continue to next page ]

Share This Post