12/14/2020
Meet Winston Churchill’s “Black Dog”
“I’m afraid the ‘black dog’ has really got me. Churchill’s image of despair suits me better than ‘the black hole.’ A black hole just swallows you up. Would that it were that easy, to sink down into darkness, as if sleeping. But this dog, this dog! It crouches in the corner of the room, waits for me to make a move. Or lies at the foot of the bed, like a shadow, until I try to get up.”
The above quote is taken from the Prologue of
On the Edge of Darkness, by Kathy Cronkite
The New Year is nearly upon us (isn’t it always?). Time for festivities, celebrations, family gatherings. All joy and fun. Not entirely!
This also happens to be the season for stress and depression. Outside of the Holiday Season, depression visits about 20% of the population, but during December and January, the percentage may approach fifty or higher. Disappointments, pressures, frustrations, time and financial obligations all add up to get the better of many of us. The result? Overtime for mental health care professionals and a spike in the su***de rate. Not too joyous.
Interesting, though, that still in the year 2020 we treat depression with an icy silence, denying its existence until we wallow in a dark emotional abyss with the “Black Dog” as our only companion. Well, let’s shine the light of day on this sinister adversary, lure it from the shadows, and at least cast a beam of hope upon those afflicted. Let’s learn how to tame our “Black Dogs.” Lennie offers a myriad of solutions in The Last Chance Oasis, but here are three workable suggestions to whet your appetite.
Talk – It may be cheap, but its value is priceless and limitless. It’s the best. Talking leads my list of therapeutic interventions for depression. It works. It aids in self-discovery. It’s the basis for psychological therapy. Talking to a good listener, one who is compassionate, not prone to interruption or “solving” your problems, one who may be able to ask appropriate questions to guide you or to explore areas you may not have considered important, is the best therapeutic and preventive emotional effort I know. Sure, I have just described the ideal psychotherapist. But unless you are severely depressed and suicidal, the “therapist” doesn’t have to have letters (Ph.D., M.S., M.D., L.I.S.W.) behind his name to be effective for you. A good friend may be your best listener.
Exercise – Step over the black dog! Regular aerobic exercise has been proven to relieve and prevent depression. The generation in the brain and release into the circulation of endorphins produces a mood elevating effect that lasts for much longer than the immediate exercise period. The associated benefits of increased muscle tone and performance ability add to the neurotransmitter effect of the endorphins. Better mood, better performance, more strength, and greater endurance all support the emergence of an improved attitude, demeanor, and self-image.
Write – Keep a journal of your thoughts, ideas, happinesses, unhappinesses, hopes and aspirations, fears and fantasies. Write letters to friends and to family members. Write letters to yourself. This is powerful. It’s amazing what you might tell yourself. Write a poem and frame it on your wall. Write a fantasy. Do it again. Discovery and expression greet you in your writing.
Join the LCO – Yes, join The Last Chance Oasis. There you will find everything you need to overcome stress and depression. Visit https://lennie-mees.mykajabi.com
Talk, exercise, write, join LCO? These efforts will help my depression, tame my “Black Dog,” you ask with furrowed brow? I say, yes. But, you must try them. I promise you’ll like them.
