• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Mental Health Resources
    • Depression Resources
  • Blog
    • Coping
    • Medication
    • Self Care
    • Stress and Anxiety
    • Unhelpful thinking
      • Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
      • Fortune-Telling
      • Guilt and Shame
      • Time Travel
    • Sleep Issues
    • Depression
    • Covid19
    • Suicide & Self-Harm
    • Wellness Tools
      • SMART – Self Management And Recovery Training
      • WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan)
      • Change Triangle
  • Contact
  • SHOP

Turnaround
You are here: Home / Featured Home / What am I waiting for, an engraved invitation?

What am I waiting for, an engraved invitation?

November 21, 2019 by Depression Is Not My Boss 2 Comments

Depression has me waiting for an engraved invitation to live a balanced life

There are so many more things I could be doing right now.

How can I decide? That is what I am working on currently.  It should make me happy, glad, excited to be wanted by others.

To have people I admire say “you could be a big help and contributor to the success of our non-profit, our company, our group.” This is very flattering.

But at the same time, I am still figuring out what my life looks like now that I am acknowledging depression, saying its name out loud and facing it for the first time in my entire adult life. This is a lot to take in and digest.

I need more time to figure all this out.

It has been about six months since I walked into the emergency room, seeking professional help for what turned out to be Major Depressive Disorder. Six months out of 64 years on this earth.

Yet here I am thinking I have all the tools I need, all the strategies I need to face my life with depression. It turns out I am nowhere close to having the answers for myself.

I understand that everyone who has this disease, is constantly working to keep it at bay, I’m not the only one.

Even those who seem to have it licked, will tell you that it is because they work at it, not because depression has gone away. Some people benefit from exercise, others from medication, talk therapy, SMART Recovery, WRAP, DBT skills, acupuncture. There are many things that people find to help their individual situations.

For me, I have broken my life going forward into six-month chunks.

The first is ending at the end of December. I am reviewing my progress towards living a balanced life and looking ahead to what the next six months look like. Instead of a 5 year or 10-year plan, my horizons have gotten much closer.

READ: How can you be in control and have depression?

It is important for me to remain closer to the present, and not time travel off into the future. This has already helped me be much more in the moment, appreciating who is around me, and the quality of life I am forging for myself.

Yes, I could be doing a lot more.

But I am doing a lot, right now. Adding more to my plate is not in my best interest.  Currently, there are three non-profits that would love to have me on their Board of Directors.

This warms my heart, knowing I could make a difference. But I am still learning to take care of myself, as an adult with depression. Thinking about adding on anther role, right now, is overwhelming.

And that is just one area that is competing for my attention.

As I take the SMART Courses, I am learning more about the tools available to help me keep depression out in the open. To keep it where I can see it. Depression does not like that.

But with the completion of the courses, I am feeling the urge to give back, to help facilitate the very meetings that have been crucial to my recovery. And then there is my day job and future opportunities within the company.

How do I decide what to add to my days?

One of the tools from the SMART Toolbox is a Decision-Making Worksheet or CBT (cost-benefit analysis). I have used this tool several times in the past six months and find it helpful when making choices about some future activity.

LINK To SMART Decision-Making Worksheet

To keep myself on track, I will come back and add my completed worksheet to this post, once I have finished it. I am using one to weight the advantages and disadvantages of different lifestyle adjustments for the next six months.

Each of these has benefits and costs. Understanding these, writing them out so I can clearly think about them, has been a wonderful tool.

These exercises have helped me to make better decisions.

I am not jumping in, I am standing on the riverbank, judging the current. Even if there is an engraved invitation, I am not ready to take it.

However, I have confidence in the process and know I will make the right decision for my personal recovery.

What are you waiting for?

Filed Under: Featured Home, Self Care, SMART - Self Management And Recovery Training, WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) Tagged With: cost/benefit analysis, DBT, depression and anxiety, engraved invitation, SMART Recovery, WRAP

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

I write My Concealed Depression to create Mental Health AwarenessHello, I am Joel. I have Major Depressive Disorder. As I meet others with mental illness, they often tell me they feel alone.

With 40+ years of living with concealed depression, I write my blog to let others know you are not alone. Others are going through the same things.

And I write to share what I am learning so you and I can lead a balanced life.

https://myconcealeddepression.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/my-concealed-depression-intro.mp4
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

More to See

The startling truth about coping statements for anxiety and depression

The Startling Truth About Coping Statements For Anxiety and Depression

October 28, 2020 By Depression Is Not My Boss

My 101 Coping Strategies for Anxiety

My 101 Best Coping Statements For Anxiety and Depression

October 18, 2020 By Depression Is Not My Boss

I write to understand my depression and thereby lead a balanced life.

Is Being Too Busy to Write a Good Thing?

September 2, 2023 By Depression Is Not My Boss

Even as I have MDD or concealed depression, I am wondering what makes me the happiest

What Would Make Me the Happiest?

August 14, 2023 By Depression Is Not My Boss

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

You Never Pay More, Yet Clicking These Links And Making a Purchase Helps Fund My Blog

PureFormulas.com-Pure Healthy Goodness, Highest-Grade Natural Supplements! Fast, Free Shipping!
Mosaic 250x250
Blog Meets Brand
Best Self Improvement & Personal Development Blogs - OnToplist.com
RSS Search

Blog posts that go back to my 5 East time over 4 years ago

  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019

Footer

Contact

Email:  my.concealed.depression@gmail.com

Privacy Policy

Recent

  • September marks #SuicidePreventionMonth
  • Is Being Too Busy to Write a Good Thing?
  • What Would Make Me the Happiest?
  • I’m Still Pushing That Rock Up the Same Hill
  • My Depression Has Me Falling in and Out of Love

Search

Products

  • The Six Second Cover Letter™ $19.99
  • 10 Page Gratitude Coloring Pages $14.99
  • 5 gratitude coloring pages from my concealed depression to help reduce anxiety and depression Five - Gratitude Coloring Pages $9.99
  • The One Secret That Lands Your Dream Job[Course]
  • Write This Down, You'll Need It Later[Amazon]

© Copyright 2020 · My Concealed Depression · All Rights Reserved · Designed by The Marketing Momma