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Post by disorganizeddragon on Mar 1, 2013 22:14:58 GMT -5
"Measure yourself by your best moments, not by your worst. We are too prone to judge ourselves by our moments of despondency and depression."--Robert Johnson
"Fear is the static that prevents me from hearing myself."--Samuel Butler
"Your problems are never bigger than your purpose."--Herman Edwards
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."--Henry Stanley Haskins, Meditations in Wall Street (originally published anonymously; commonly misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson)
“Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you don't believe it. Seek out the memories depression takes away and project them into the future. Be brave; be strong; take your pills. Exercise because it's good for you, even if every step weighs a thousand pounds. Eat when food itself disgusts you. Reason with yourself when you have lost your reason.”--Andrew Solomon, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.”--Napoleon Hill
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Post by ClutterBlind on Mar 1, 2013 22:53:31 GMT -5
Give yourself a hug. Go make some tea. Light a candle. Nurture yourself.
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Post by angela on Mar 2, 2013 1:01:48 GMT -5
Thank you for this theme Dragon. I have already learned something new about this condition I live with.
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Post by ClutterBlind on Mar 2, 2013 20:15:52 GMT -5
More Louise Hay, who is the best-selling author of inspirational self-help books including You Can Heal Your Life:Louise has said, if you only do step one below, you will go a long way to heal and love yourself (and lift depression). Actually, if you only do step one, the rest of the steps take care of themselves: Louise Hay's 12 Commandments on How to Love Yourself 1. STOP ALL CRITICISM. Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive. 2. FORGIVE YOURSELF.Let the past go. You did the best you could at the time with the understanding, awareness, and knowledge that you had. Now you are growing and changing, and you will live life differently. 3. DON'T SCARE YOURSELF.Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It's a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure, and immediately switch your scary thought to a pleasure thought. 4. BE GENTLE AND KIND AND PATIENT.Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn the new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would someone you really loved. 5. BE KIND TO YOUR MIND.Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don't hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change your thoughts. 6. PRAISE YOURSELF. Criticism breaks down the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing. 7. SUPPORT YOURSELF.Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is being strong to ask for help when you need it. 8. BE LOVING TO YOUR NEGATIVES.Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill those needs. So lovingly release the old negative patterns. 9. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need in order to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise do you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in. 10. MIRROR WORK.Look into your eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself while looking into the mirror. Talk to your parents while looking into the mirror. Forgive them, too. At least once a day, say "I love you, I really love you!" 11. LOVE YOURSELF... DO IT NOW.Don't wait until you get well, or lose the weight, or get the new job, or find the new relationship. Begin now---and do the best you can. 12. HAVE FUN. Remember the things that gave you joy as a child. Incorporate them into your life now. Find a way to have fun with everything you do. Let yourself express the joy of living. Smile. Laugh. Rejoice, and the Universe rejoices with you! All is WELL! Louise
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Post by disorganizeddragon on Mar 3, 2013 1:32:32 GMT -5
"Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it."--Albert Smith
"There are days--depression is a part of it--when if all you do is get dressed, take a shower, and put on your makeup, then it is a good day. Your goals have to be much lower. But if you take one tiny little step, then you can take another and another."--Deborah Norville
“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation --either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.”--Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I smile when I look back at the troubles that have strengthened me. What seems to be insurmountable struggles then are now beautiful ornaments illuminating my soul."--Dodinsky
"In moments of discouragement, defeat, or even despair, there are always certain things to cling to. Little things usually: remembered laughter, the face of a sleeping child, a tree in the wind--in fact, any reminder of something deeply felt or dearly loved. No man is so poor as not to have many of these small candles. When they are lighted, darkness goes away--and a touch of wonder remains."--Tombstone inscription in Britain Clutterblind, thank you for your wonderful contributions to get this month's topic off to a great start. Your e-images give this thread so much life and I really appreciate it. Angela, you are very welcome. I'm happy you're already learning a few new things to hopefully help you in your own battle with depression. I, too, have dealt with depression over the past several years and have always been so glad whenever I happened across anything new that could somehow help or inspire me, so I was hoping to be able to pass that on.
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Post by ramatama on Mar 3, 2013 7:56:50 GMT -5
Nat "King" Cole & George Shearing - Pick Yourself Up
Nat "King" Cole Smile
Neil Diamond Song Sung Blue
Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Streisand and Diamond
Barbra Streisand The Way We Were
Judy Collins Send in the Clowns
Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now
Gordon Lightfoot Rainy Day People live:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qZvSqESv3Q CD:
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Post by messymimi on Mar 3, 2013 8:44:38 GMT -5
"Life has knocked me down a few times. It showed me things I never wanted to see. I experienced sadness and failures. But one thing for sure, I always get up!" ~ Anon.
messymimi
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Post by ramatama on Mar 3, 2013 9:04:51 GMT -5
"If by chance some day you're not feeling well and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."-- Red Skelton
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Mar 3, 2013 10:27:57 GMT -5
Wilson Phillips singing "Hold On" in their original video in 1990 Song starts at 1:55 on the videoWilson Phillips singing "Hold On" live in 2012 I know this pain Why do you lock yourself up in these chains? No one can change your life except for you Don't ever let anyone step all over you Just open your heart and your mind Is it really fair to feel this way inside? Someday, somebody's gonna make you want to turn around and say goodbye Until then, baby, are you going to let them hold you down and make you cry? Don't you know? Don't you know, things'll change? Things'll go your way If you hold on for one more day Can you hold on for one more day? Things'll go your way Hold on for one more day You could sustain Or are you comfortable with the pain? You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness You got yourself into your own mess Letting your worries pass you by Baby, don't you think it's worth your time To change your mind? Someday, somebody's gonna make you want to turn around and say goodbye Until then, baby, are you going to let them hold you down and make you cry? Don't you know? Don't you know, things'll change? Things'll go your way If you hold on for one more day Can you hold on for one more day? Things'll go your way Hold on for one more day I know that there is pain, but you Hold on for one more day. Break free from the chains Yeah, I know that there is pain, but you hold on for one more day, and you break free, break from the chains
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Post by disorganizeddragon on Mar 3, 2013 23:05:58 GMT -5
“Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters. Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome. Terrify and terrific. Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation.”--Alan Cohen
"The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them."--Bernard M. Baruch
"Always do your best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret."--Miguel Angel Ruiz
“What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.”--Anthony Robbins
"It is never too late to be what you might have been."--George EliotAnd a little more food for thought..."My hunch is that the disease/defect model of depression is unwittingly contributing to the ongoing stigma of depression. Through the lens of the disease model, the legions of the formerly depressed are a 'broken' people who need lifelong assistance. I would like to see a more revolutionary public education approach, with campaigns that emphasize the unique strengths that are required to endure depression. Even if a person is helped by drugs or therapy, grappling with a severe depression requires enormous courage. In many ways, a person who has emerged from the grip of depression has just passed the most severe of trials in the human experience. If we acknowledge that surviving depression requires a special toughness, we will not see formerly depressed people as a broken legion, but as a resource who can teach us all something about overcoming adversity."--Jonathan Rottenberg, Ph.D. Yay Ramatama, the esteemed Mistress of Music for this month's topic! Those are some really great choices (especially "Pick Yourself Up," which I had never heard before). Thank you for the songs and the lovely quote by Red Skelton. Another big "thank you" to Lioness for another wonderful song to accompany this month's quotes... (Music is a great pick-me-up when you're depressed--I'm so glad you two have provided us with a SOoS soundtrack. If anyone else has a song to contribute, please share!) Mimi, my old quote buddy! I'm so glad to see you. Thank you so much for stopping by to share a great quote with us.
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Post by angela on Mar 4, 2013 1:38:56 GMT -5
I wish I had something to contribute. I don't know where you find all these wonderful quotes!
I do have some music that I've collected though so maybe I can post some of that tomorrow.
For now, thanks for these wonderful little wise nuggets!
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Post by ClutterBlind on Mar 4, 2013 7:54:21 GMT -5
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Post by disorganizeddragon on Mar 4, 2013 22:16:11 GMT -5
"Risk-taking, trust and serendipity are key ingredients of joy. Without risk, nothing new ever happens. Without trust, fear creeps in. Without serendipity, there are no surprises."--Rita Golden Gelman, Tales of a Female Nomad
“Do not resist events that move you out of your comfort zone, especially when your comfort zone was not all that comfortable.”--Alan Cohen
"Depression has a mind of its own. When you are depressed, you think in generalizations (nothing works out), you don’t give yourself credit (I can’t do anything right), and you label yourself in the most negative terms (loser, ashamed, humiliated). You set demanding standards that you will never live up to. You may think you need to get everyone’s approval, or excel at everything you do, or know for sure something will work out before you try it. Your thinking keeps you trapped in self-criticism, indecisiveness, and inertia."--Robert Leahy, Ph.D., How to Beat the Blues
"If you risk nothing, then you risk everything."--Geena Davis
“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”--M. Scott Peck Angela, if you have music to contribute, that would be wonderful. But even if you don't, I really appreciate you just taking the time to stop by and letting all of us contributors know that you're enjoying the thread. And thank you, Clutterblind, for giving us two more beautiful quotes and images. (I really like the one about everyday being a new beginning--the picture reminds me of the beach and the beach always cheers me up! )
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Post by messymimi on Mar 5, 2013 7:31:43 GMT -5
From one of my favorite books:
“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.” ― T.H. White, The Once and Future King
messymimi
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Post by ramatama on Mar 5, 2013 7:42:37 GMT -5
This describes me many times over:
“Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I'm not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you've felt that way.” ― Charles Bukowski
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