On Depression

The way I deal with depression is with patterns of positivity. Patterns of positive activity and people. Going to lunch with specific people, doubling down at my job, dance, meditation, prayer, these create patterns that introduce into my being the positivity my mind had trouble creating. Telling a depressive to "think positive" is like telling a diabetic to produce more insulin, it is the inability to produce these that is exactly the problem. But good patterns can introduce good thoughts from the outside. These structures become a ladder you use to pull yourself back into the light. They can be very effective. Times get shorter and downs get less intense. Yet life happens and the structures can get interrupted. Sometimes these are like stumbles and you can find your footing. But sometimes a rung can break and you can have a bad fall. At those times structures have to go through re-building. New relationships must be built and new patterns created. This can be tough work, but it will work. The light will always come again. But man, can the darkness linger, and ladders can be hard to build.