We live in a world that is more advanced than ever before. We can see clear across the galaxy. The human race has evolved, our laws have advanced, and the technology is cutting edge! There should arguably be no better time in history to be alive, yet more people than ever before are suffering with depression, anxiety and other chronic mental health issues. Why when we should be celebrating life, are we frustrated, worried, and broken down? Why does it seem like we just can’t figure out how to be content and at peace with the life we are living?

My inspirational message today focuses on one specific piece of this deep question. I’m finding that no matter what you’ve got going on you can still feel hopeless and depressed. You can be successful and still feel a sense of despair, but on the flip side you can be in need and have all the hope in the world! You can have a crowd of people around you and feel lonely or be around a close friend and feel strong emotional support.

Let’s briefly explore three things that can aid in breaking the cycle of depression.

The first step is, limiting your options. Yes, we have too many choices! This plethora of choices can leave us dissatisfied with our life. Many times, I have worked with someone who is pursuing their master’s degree, have a decent career and a supportive family, but feel empty due to not accomplishing everything that they feel they can do. Don’t get me wrong, it’s ok to pursue opportunities that present themselves or create your own opportunities but I am saying not to pick everything that’s in front of you. Our world provides many cool options to almost everything in life. When making decisions about what to pursue in life ‘less is more’! Remind yourself that you don’t have to do everything to feel fulfilled.

The second step is, share your burdens. We live in a world where everything is on display which feeds into the problem of meaningful connection. We display our lives in controlled sound bites that are void of personal connection. We have lost touch with the power of interpersonal relationships where we can get genuine feedback on issues that we have from someone that can offer a different point of reference of where this issue may have derived from. It’s hard to grow based on a “like button” or an emoji.

The third step is, maintain healthy habits. The biggest killer of depression is a healthy lifestyle. Get a balanced dose of sunshine, sleep, exercise, water, spiritual connection, and a healthy diet. Doing these things in combination with counseling and the medical supervision of your doctor can dramatically decrease the physiological feelings of depression. Be careful of things that cause an excessive release of hormones like dopamine because the withdrawal or crash from such excessive hormonal releases may cause feelings of depression.

These are just a few tips to get you started on your journey. Get excited about life and take a step back to appreciate what you have been blessed with. If you are in the North Alabama area and are looking for a counselor check me out at http://www.atouchofpeace.org or call me at 256-334-9572 to set up an appointment today.