We all cross paths with adversity. We mourn, we weep, and we battle the challenges of healing in our own ways. Despair casts shadows differently for each of us. There is no playbook for any grieving process. Crisis can’t be measured nor is it palpable. It’s different for all of us as we all gauge crises on an individual scale. Without the proper coping tools, we can find ourselves stuck in a state that isn’t an accurate depiction of our true selves.
Consider the circus elephant. This massive beautiful beast stands tied to a rope that’s tied to a steak in the ground. It could certainly pull free and escape the prison it’s confined to. So why doesn’t it? It’s stuck in a state that doesn’t match its true being. As a baby, the elephant was tied up to a steak in the ground. It fought and fought and yet could not free itself. The struggle, the fight to break free, the will it had to be free was broken. The baby elephant was conditioned to the fact that it was stuck. Even after it grew to the point that it could easily cast its chains aside, it still believed it couldn’t break free.
What is depression? Where does it begin?
We all have this blueprint in our minds of how we want our lives to be. This blueprint dictates every choice we make. We make choices that we believe will keep us in line with our blueprint. Of course, we can’t control everything that happens to us during our time on this earth. We will most assuredly encounter a crisis that knocks us off our axis. A death, a divorce, losing a job, or any number of circumstances. When this happens, we rely on the skills we’ve acquired throughout our journey to process and remedy the emotional war raging within us. We put our entire tool chest to work. Yet, sometimes, we do not have the necessary tools to navigate the coping process. We begin to feel as though we will never win the fight. Depression kicks in. Depression is your body telling you that you’re tired of being that person. It’s telling you that it’s tired of pretending that you’re something you’re not. You’ve become conditioned to believe that you’re stuck. This is not a sign of weakness, depravity, or unwillingness. It’s a sign that you’re human. That you are hurting, that you are grieving, that you are going through a life-altering process, and that you need help. There’s strength in reaching out for help. There’s strength in requesting a hand when you’re down. There’s strength in admitting you need someone to walk with you. Sometimes all it takes is for one loving person to reach down and pull you up from your despair.
When we focus on leading a passionate, meaningful life, we are also inadvertently creating a spectacular ripple effect of inspiration in the lives around us. When one person follows a dream, tries something new, or takes a daring leap, everyone nearby feels their passionate energy, and before too long, they are making their own daring leaps while simultaneously inspiring others.
The Wandering-Mind 