Okay, I swore I wouldn’t do it, but I’ve decided to make a New Year’s resolution after all. For those of you who insist on being depressed, despite good drugs, listen up.
Has it ever occurred to you that you can help yourself feel better while waiting for your Zoloft to kick in? Yes, you heard it here first, folks — if you change your thoughts you can often change your feelings. But if you’re like me and you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop; well, you’re going to feel like hell most of the time.
Trust me, you can always find something in your life to complain about. But what if you concentrated instead on what’s good in your life? What if you woke up each morning and wrote down the things you’re grateful for? Even if it’s something small like having naturally curly hair. If you can’t think of anything off the top of your head and have to lie, that’s okay. Have you ever heard the words, “Fake it until you make it?”
From now on, the first thing I’m going to do when I get up in the morning — after having my usual wake up Bloody Mary or two — is to make a list of what’s good in my life. Like inside plumbing. Or my microwave. Or how about blow dryers and curling irons? What did we do before they came along? How many of you had to sleep with curlers in your hair? Felt like you were wearing box springs on your head. What about Control Top pantyhose? Before they came along we had to make a conscious effort to hold in our stomachs. That’s pretty hard to remember if your life is as busy as mine.
There is always something to feel grateful for so write it down. It’s hard to feel depressed and grateful at the same time. I know because I’ve tried.
