Accepting Life on Life's Terms

[Butterflywoman]

I read this book once entitled How to Be an Adult.

The author said to be an adult you had to accept life on life's terms. He listed 4 terms.

Everything changes.
We are alone.
Life is unfair.
Life includes suffering.

To this I would add we must accept . . .

The past.
What we cannot change.

So I am going to accept life on life's terms, including my depression.

[51anna]

Ya know Butterflywoman, I recently waded through "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. It was a tough read in places, a LOT to digest.

But, on thing Tolle says is to be present in the moment, NO MATTER what it is. It's only a moment and you can deal with it. And, by trying to steer around what's put in your path, you will cause yourself problems. This is something that I am trying to incorporate into my life, but it's not easy.

[Digginit]

We have a common theme lately then. This has been so frequently on my mind this year--it's been one of those years...lol. I've been wondering if this year isn't some big joke just to make me get this lesson. Looks like we're both learning.

Hang in there!

~dig

[kelsh]

Being in the present was always hard for me until I learned how to apply the Serenity Prayer to my daily life and living in the moment. I always had trouble deciding what could or couldn't be changed.

Raising a family was my first goal and I seemed to take care of the kids and my husband but I was left out of the equation except for my alcohol. But when I learned how to incorporate my AA Program into my daily activities it worked for me.

I still had depression to deal with and that still is a continuous life long effort to continue taking my meds & getting my blood draws done every few months to see that the level of my meds are right.

I have been sober 20 years now and the past three years of my depression have been more stable than I have ever had it be...it took some getting used to...that I can actually do everyday chores without trying to make a decision if I can do them or not.

kelsh

[PassItOn2KeepIt]

Someone said something this evening that really struck a chord with me in regard to staying in the moment. (I'm not sure how you feel about all the "higher power" stuff, so I hope that you find this helpful) He said, "When I call on the God of my understanding, I don't make an appointment for next week or even later today. For me God is in the moment whether I am or not, and THAT is what gives me peace." I started thinking about that because it seems to make sense. If I forget to call on it (him, her, it, whatever) in the moment and instead get in to trying to control the outcome or even thinking about the outcome, that is where my DIS belief comes right in, swings the door wide open for my DISease, and pretty soon my head is spinning out of control.

I really appreciate your posting those 4 terms and I admire your willingness to just accept your depression and let it be what it is, even if it doesn't feel good. I was thankfully able to do the same last night, I was horribly depressed. I made a point to accept it, to allow myself to cry about it and feel crappy. I remembered to ask for help in a prayer. And today was a good day, so it did pass, just like everyone told me it would, and I believe it did because I accepted it and I asked for help. I hope your trouble passes quickly!