07/30/2024
Compared to my past, I am rarely depressed anymore. Or maybe it just manifests differently now that I’m postmenopausal. Some days I wake up and just don’t want to . Lack of motivation to do anything is a hallmark for me. But I try not to give into this feeling. Rather than identifying with it I try to just acknowledge that it is present. I love the the poem by Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks: This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond. 🧜♀️ So, what to do when feeling this way? I try to be brave: tell myself that this is just today. Tomorrow can be different! I am real with myself, acknowledging my feelings and observing them. Then I reinforce that I am able to manage this, by engaging skills I have learned: Breathwork, moving my body, staying engaged in tasks, having some social interactions. So today I swam, I visited with someone with many more problems than I have, and then I lifted weights. By the end of the day I was feeling so much better! Don’t underestimate the small things that you can proactively do when you are feeling down. 🧜♀️ If this is a chronic situation, please seek help! What do you do when you feel this way?
