[nandm]

"Better do to no end, than do nothing." Robert Burton

Taking Responsibility

Robert Burton, a 17th-century scholar, wrote The Anatomy of Melancholy---an exercise in self-hlp---over 350 years ago to combat his own depression. The theme of his book presented a powerful challenge that has stood the test of time: The only wat to break the cycle of brooding thoughts is to act responsibly on one's behalf. One way to do so is to start today to learn all you can about your mood disorder. Such knowledge can help you make decisions about your recovery, as well as enable you to decide how to combat such feelings in the future. You can learn more through published materials----books, audiocassettes, and magazine articles----or by talking with friends and family members who have gone through what you're now experiencing.

What you may discover from such self-education is that you may need to take responsibility for your feelings and release the blame that you've placed on everything and everyone else (your parents, your job, your health, your income, your friends, the cruel world, or even the weather) in your life. The difficult part of taking such responsibility is accepting that you own your feelings; the beneficial part is acknowledging that claiming ownership empowers you to make positive changes that can free you from negative emotions.

So begin today, this first day of the new year, by resolving to keep the words of Elbert Hubbard in mind: "There is no failure except in no longer trying." Take responsibility for yourself and your feelings through self-education and by ceasing to blame, so you can begin to make responsible decisions for yourself.

I take responsibility for my own feelings