Home > Work > Transcending Depression: Quest Without a Compass
1 " Sometimes when I’ve felt despondent for several days, it helps to discipline myself by saying, ‘I’m going to think only positive thoughts.’ Enough is enough! "
― Larry Godwin , Transcending Depression: Quest Without a Compass
2 " With all this talk about taking my life, why have I never attempted it? Answer: I have an overwhelming desire to live. "
3 " No event is depressing. I may feel depressed; if so, I take responsibility. "
4 " I have an obligation to help eliminate the stigma attached to mental illness. When I’m feeling despondent and someone asks in a sincere way how I am, I have a duty to tell the truth. It’s no different from saying I have a bad cold. By speaking candidly, I give others permission to acknowledge their own mental illness, talk about it, and seek help. I must break the silence instead of treating my depression like a shameful character flaw. "
5 " I feel like a violet standing alone in a vast meadow. When a cool, gentle breeze blows, I feel peaceful. If the wind turns strong and hot from the south, I plot suicide. "
6 " By masking my mental illness, I get along with almost everyone. Although the odd duck, I honor society’s rules. No one else could imagine my mind’s interior. "
7 " Today I hit rock bottom but didn’t busy myself with activity to take my mind off it, like I usually do. I allowed myself to sink as deep as possible. It’s like an infection: let it run its course and be done with it. Rising, I felt cleansed. "
8 " My depression is cyclical. When feeling down, I must remember each episode has a beginning, middle, and end. "
9 " At those times when I’m weak, needy, and depressed, I must remember there’s someone who feels worse. To that person, I would appear whole. "
10 " In the midst of this despondency, I’m not responsible for my feelings. I can’t talk myself out of irritability and apathy. But I am accountable for my behavior, for cracks in my facade. "
11 " My therapist opens my wounds a little deeper, then picks at the scabs. "
12 " Although I contemplated suicide many times, and developed concrete plans once or twice, I never gave up. Rather than take the emergency exit, I searched relentlessly for remedies and coping mechanisms. Although often feeling worn down and deeply discouraged, I persisted in hoping better times might come. "