As anyone prone to mental disorder and depression knows, there are days when it’s all you can do to get out of bed in the morning. The pain in your emotional space travels to every muscle, every bone and everywhere on the skin. Why bother?
These moments used to give me cravings for dark, quiet rooms with a bed or couch, where I could binge eat, smoke, drink and sleep — in that order.
In the grip of depression, it can be hard not to go back there. But I can’t let depression do that to me anymore. So there’s only one thing left to do.
Show up.
Mood music:
Show up for my wife and kids.
Show up for work.
Show up for meetings and appointments.
No matter how dreadful I feel.
I need to show up for everything — the good and the bad.
I can stumble over my addictive impulses and overwork myself until I’m burnt to a crisp. But every time I show up, the demons lose.
Showing up is a road back to equilibrium, as crooked and unpredictable as that road might be.
Showing up means you can be a blessing to people without trying to blindly please everyone.
To sum it up:
Your demons will hate you for it.
Those who matter will love you for it.
