ILLUSTRATION: SARAH YOUNG
THE PATH TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE
No 6
In terms of depression, if there is one thing to hold in mind it’s
this: one step matters. To illustrate this idea, consider depression
to be rather like an airport baggage carousel that is teeming
with every negative thought, unpleasant feeling, and avoidant,
counterproductive action you’ve ever experienced. All the bags
are piled high and heavy, sagging and leaning into each other.
The carousel chugs away, hauling this load around on a
continuous loop. When you find yourself deposited amidst all
that baggage, no matter which direction you move on that
carousel, you will keep encountering the same old contents. Youdon’t get anywhere new. What can you do? The answer
is obvious: step off the carousel. Simple and effective. Now
you’re standing on steady ground and no longer entangled
in all that oppressive content. With one precious step you
have given yourself the freedom to move in a new direction.
You have created a path.
Read more in Mindfulness for Black Dogs and Blue Days
by Richard Gilpin (Leaping Hare Press). The Simple Things
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