Mindset Mondays with DTK – Ep #189 — Four Simple Words Can Change a Life
Back in May 2013, then-19 year old comedian & mental health activist Kevin Breel gave an incredibly raw and powerful TEDxTalk entitled “Confessions of a Depressed Comic” that spoke to me deeply.
His willingness to say what seems like four simple words, “I Suffer From Depression,” changed his life. It allowed him to step out of the shadows and be open with the people in his life about what was going on in his world. Speaking those words out loud (and delivering his TEDxTalk!) was incredibly courageous.
Kevin’s talk helped me be more pubic with my battle with depression.
I’ve been living with depression as long as I can remember. Sadly, most of that time was spent:
1. thinking that it was my fault,
2. fearing that talking about it would burden others,
3. believing that it was something I had to fix, and
4. ‘knowing’ that I had to do it all on my own.
Each of those fallacies made things worse. The combination of the four was almost deadly.
I woke up on Tuesday this week and I could feel the depression welling up again. Though it’s been a while, there was no mistaking it.
I felt like I was moving through quicksand. It was all I could do to keep moving … I plowed through my structures (meditation, Peloton, breakfast, calendar events, meals, et al) … one foot in front of the other.
Sometimes plugging along is enough.
Sometimes showing up is enough.
Sometimes getting out of bed is enough.
And enough IS courageous!
“Courage doesn’t always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet
voice at the end of the day saying
‘I will try again tomorrow’.”
— Mary Anne Radmacher
Whether you live with a chronic health issue (be it mental or physical) or not, there is a lesson to draw from this: Set your bar where you can based on where you are … every day … in each moment. Always.
Only you can know what you’re capable of. Only you can measure yourself against that mark.
And, most importantly, get out of your head! Advocate for what you need and where you are. And do it out loud!
Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Self-advocacy is courageous!
So, regardless of what you’re navigating this fine day, whenever you’re reading this email … take Sam Levenson’s words to heart: “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does: Keep going!”
What is enough for you today?
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