Category Archives: Humanities

10 Daily Tips to Manage Depression

I have worked for many years with people who have depression, and while there is no easy solution, I have found certain attitudes and behaviors more helpful than others. These simple guidelines can also help even if you don’t have depression.

  1. Set goals and priorities.
  2. Meditate.
  3. Do it now. Don’t procrastinate.
  4. Keep a regular sleep schedule.
  5. Look good and feel good.
  6. Exercise.
  7. Take prescribed medication.
  8. Be honest.
  9. Think “I can,” versus “I can’t.”
  10. Nourish relationships — with yourself and others.

I have this list printed as a handout to give to clients. They often tape it to their bathroom mirror or other place that they usually go in the morning as a checklist for starting the day.

Self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. There is only one You; taking care of your mind, body, and spirit are essential to living fully and sharing your gifts with others.

Developing Personal Vision

Among all animals, human nature is expressed in its constant search for creating and manipulating the world. We seek meaning and purpose in our existence through religion, philosophy, science, and business. Institutions and organizations are created to carry out this creative drive in an orderly fashion, so that many may experience the benefit. It could be said that humans possess an intrinsic visionary drive; each of us is born with potential to fulfill. Through the fortune of life circumstances, a person fulfills that potential as fully as possible. Some people receive support for their endeavors and are mentored in their pursuit. For others, their potential is squashed by cultural and social rules, lack of education and opportunity, or impoverishment; some rise above the constraints. The concept of vision is most frequently applied within an organization; vision helps those leaders to determine the direction in which they wish to go and develop strategies to accomplish goals. Since organizations consist of humans, it would be laudable to apply the same template to an individual’s life. In this era of transient employment, where companies frequently “rightsize” and lay off workers, and where employees often change jobs or careers, it makes increasing sense to consider oneself an organization and to develop a vision for one’s life.
Continue reading →

You’re Too Much!

The declaration that “You’re too much!” is a refrain heard by many creative, intense people who engage their interests in life. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of this can tell you how much doubt and shame is generated when these words are uttered. I know a woman who wondered if she was “too much” for any man to ever love her — only sometimes people also called it neediness, even though that’s a matter of perception. For those who might appreciate a different perspective, here is something written by SARK, author of Succulent Wild Woman:

Fear of Being “Too Much”
All my life, I’ve heard that I’m “too much.” Too wild, too loud, too outrageous, too emotional, too sensitive, too needy, too much.

My boyfriend and I have both been called “larger than life.” When I met him, I asked him if he felt “larger than life.” He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes:

“Susan, this is the size Life is. Anyone who tries to make you smaller is just a Lilliputian.”

I knew then that I had found the right man for me. If we don’t fully use who we are, then who are we?

As I age, I see the temptation to laugh a bit less loudly, ask less, “tone down” for the benefit of “others.” Often I don’t even know who these “others” are, but they might be upset, so I comply.

I was actually warned in a restaurant one time for laughing too loudly! The manager came over and said crabbily, “Some of my customers are annoyed by your laughter — why don’t you keep it down?”

I asked who these customers were. He refused to say, so I stood up and said, “Could I see a show of hands of people that are upset by the sound of my laughter?”

I was not laughing very loudly. No one raised their hands, so I said to the manager, “Good. The matter is settled.”

So let’s risk wearing something that’s a bit “too much,” laughing “too much,” and loving “too much.”

Write and tell me if you’ve ever been told you’re too much, and we’ll start a society: we’ll have too much parades! Certainly, we’ll wear hats that are too much, and eat too much chocolate, and then we’ll take too many naps!

Go ahead. It’s okay to breathe, take up space, move, consume, and give. You have the right to be here.