Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

Depression is isolation (and that is a terrible thing). By no means do I want the person who is experiencing depression to feel guilty but I want to explain the results of depression and why you need to break that terrible cycle.

A person’s natural reaction is to become terribly egocentric. You simply do not want to see anyone. I would tell my daughter to do anything, walk to the post office, buy a stamp, anything to get out of the house.

Depression makes you very selfish. You can not see beyond yourself. It is so important to break the cycle of depression. It is done in small degrees by grabbing the power you have.

Every person can gain more control of some aspect of their life. You do it in small steps and eventually the depression will lift.

By all means if a doctor or therapist will help use their services. You do not have to do it alone. You can break the sphere of isolation. It will not happen overnight.

Tags: breaking your spell of depression, cycle of depression, depression and isolation, do not have to do it alone, doctor, gain more control, get out of the house, getting help during depression, mental health, the small degrees of grabbing the power you have, therapist
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, life, mental health, relationships, wisdom | No Comments »

Relax, you do not have to do it alone!  The whole weight of the world is not on your shoulders.  That is not the way the universe is designed.

Every person has responsibilities and you have to do your part, whatever it is but no one is totally independent.

It is all relative.  Each person is dependent on the other.  The whole world is interdependent on each other for supplying each others’ needs.  You need people to maintain your electricity, your road.

You need farmers to raise your crops, some of which ends up in your local supermarket.  The material for your cell phone had to come from somewhere.  There has to be towers built to transfer the signal.  And that is just the start.  Are you getting the idea?

And some of the people are so disconnected with this.  I had a customer complain once because there were flecks of dirt on her bunch of celery.  Like it was revolutionary for a person to discoverer that food is usually grown in dirt.

We take so many things for granted.  The person who thinks he/she is independent of others is nursing an illusion.  You depend on others for all kinds of services.

There is an upside to this:  you do not have to do it alone.  And that realization can be freeing.  Just do the part you are called to.  Others will do their part in the scheme of things.  And you can relax as a result.

Tags: celery, cell phone, crops, do not have to do it alone, do your part, electricity, farmers, food, freeing, God, illusion, independent, interdependent, our needs, relax, responsibilities, roads, services, supermarket, take for granted, the universe, we are dependent on one another, weight of the world, your shoulders
Posted in balance, God, knowledge&learning, life, nature, relationships, time, wisdom, your job/mission/profession | No Comments »

Depression can be a result of one major event but often it is an accumulation of a series of unresolved small matters.  Tackle each matter you have some control of, step by step, and usually your depression will lift.  It might take awhile, hours, days and sometimes a few weeks.

Somehow you need to examine your life and see what is on the surface, see what is bothering you.  It is often an accumulation of many small things.  Each small matter that you can exert some or more control of the sooner your depression will lift.

In this state it is usually a good idea to baby yourself a bit.  Start doing things that usually give you pleasure.  In the beginning it may be hard to remember the things you did in the past that always gave you pleasure but start somehow.

Just be patient, your depression will probably lift given enough time.  Just start.  Obtain solace from the fact depressions usually are temporary:  they will lift but you have to exert the power or control in your life you can.  It just takes time and effort.

And remember in the beginning, it will take greater effort:  an object at rest to get going will take greater energy and once you get moving it will take less and less extra energy to keep going.  So be patient in the beginning with your inertia (your state of depression).  It will get easier and easier as your depression eases but you have to make a greater effort in the beginning.

And by no means am I am saying to forgo professional help if you need it.  It may mean being put on an anti-depressant to buy time while you learn better coping mechanisms.  There is never shame in seeking the help of a doctor or counseling or both if you can not come out of your depression by yourself.  You do not have to do it alone.

Tags: anti-depressant, baby yourself a bit, coping mechanisms, counseling, depression, depression will lift, do not have to do it alone, doctor, effort, examine your life, extra energy to get going, God, inertia, patience, professional help, take control, time, unresolved small matters
Posted in balance, God, knowledge&learning, mental health, time, wisdom | No Comments »

I do not have to know everything.  Of course, no one can.  There are few Renaissance people any more.  Yet it is so easy to feel shame if you can not do simple things and envy the knowledge others possess.  It is so hard to know what you know and know what you do not.  This knowledge is the beginning of wisdom.  Ignorance is bliss.  You can relax in the fact this world is interdependent.  We all need one another.

Money can provide the illusion this is not so.  It is truly an illusion.  All you have to do is think of all the services provided for you.  Someone keeps the roads paved.  Someone is raising the crops that provide the food you buy in supermarkets.  The Army and the police assure your safety.  There are scientists, engineers working on solutions to improve your life further.  There are hospitals, doctors, teachers, the list is endless of people out there providing for you and your children.  Are you beginning to get the point?  We are dependent on one another.

In fact the bad economic state we are in even more so forces us to rely on each other.  That is really a good thing.  One does not have to do it alone and can relax.  Still you have to do your part.  Nevertheless, we are interdependent with one another.  We can rely on each other.  That is really the way the world is designed.  In the words of John Donne, ‘No man is an island.’  If we can hold on to that idea, the world becomes a much smaller place and we can relax further.  No one has to do it alone.  We are in this world together.  It is okay to ask for help when you need it and certainly it is okay to reach out to the needs of people around you.  All that can be very comforting.

Tags: balance, comforting, do not have to do it alone, do your part, doctors, economic state, God, hospitals, interdependence, John Donne, knowledge, learning, money, no man is an island, okay to ask for help, raising crops, reach out to others, relationships, rely on each other, Renaissance people, roads paved, services provided, teachers, we all need one another, we can relax, wisdom, world is interdependent
Posted in balance, God, knowledge&learning, life, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »