July 15, 2025- Depression is one of the worst conditions a human being can have. It saps a person of energy, desire to do things and basically they cannot get out of their own way emotionally. Even when
persons are in counseling and have medication, depression still can be resistant and continue to
not allow the person‘s emotions and ability to get things done and move forward on dreams and
desires. Depression can be like a 1000 pound gorilla holding you down and all the fight is out of
you. You just give in and sadly, accept this is your plight and there is nothing more you can do. I
am of the belief, even though depression can be bleak and hard to beat, it is something that can
be dealt with a step at a time to make your life far more livable. The following are steps I would
suggest you try to do: 1. Accept your condition as a reality. 2. Accept the belief you can make
changes to make your life more livable. 3. Set up a plan to slowly make changes to reduce
depression in your life. 4. Eliminate doubts you can do this. 5. Recognize that in spite of
whatever medication and counseling you have received, you still have what I call “stinking
thinking” with a negativity that does not allow you to move on. 6. Recognize that doing
something is step one. For example,walking out of your bedroom to the kitchen could be a
success if that is all you feel you can do. A next success can be walking to get your mail. The
next step would be to try to walk around the block. The point is that a step at a time is how you
can overcome entrenched depression. A problem is that many persons want all or nothing right
away. The result is no progress and they just stay in this negative depressed outlook. Other
things to attempt to do would include good diet, sufficient sleep, reducing such things as alcohol
and cigarette smoking, exercising, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones,and above all
recognizing you have the ability to control what you think about Once you do this and begin
doing a step at a time, your probabilities of overcoming your depression are much higher. To not
believe you can do this is very negative and will continue the cycle of depression. My point is
not to minimize the need for appropriate medication and expert psychological support for
depression. No,my point is that whatever the level of depression a person has,they are capable
of doing better than they are doing. In most cases, the amount of success a person can have is
high if the person is dedicated and works at it with the strong belief it can be done.