Never Give Up

I had a pretty traumatizing phone call yesterday: Some close to me tried to take her own life. The people that know me well know that I have an ability to compartmentalize painful experiences until I can deal with them appropriately - it's what made me a good EMT back in the 90s, it's what makes me a calm mom when my son gets hurt, and it's what helps me cope with shocking events like this.

There are two reasons I'm sharing this today.

1. Awareness. If you have someone in your life who is struggling with depression, help them seek help. Don't let them use a crutch. If a person needs religion or a friend or family member to get through things, that's fine, but those things should be tools to use towards getting better, and not Band-aids to slap on so they can ignore the issue. It's hard to confront a friend or family member and risk losing that closeness you had with them because you want them to get help, but what's worse? Them hating you until their heads clear and they understand why you did it? Or having them in the ground?

2. And yes, I'm bringing this back to me... because if we don't focus on ourselves, we can lose ourselves. After the phone call, my first thought wasn't comfort food and a happy movie to self-medicate past the situation, it was "I want to go for a long walk with my dog." And even after I got home, I stuck with my healthy dinner and snack of frozen grapes. Fast food didn't even cross my mind.

I feel a little guilty celebrating a success in the midst of this dark chapter ... and because of it. But I'm astonished that I've changed my habits enough that stress isn't driving me back to my old ways. And I think even here, there's a lesson: No matter what, even in your darkest hour, try to find a reason to go on. Find a silver lining. Find that something special that makes you feel like a winner when things around you are falling apart. THAT'S how you succeed at lifestyle changes AND at life.