One of the most important lessons of my life has been to never give up. Having endured and emerged from a serious depression, my goal is to share the possibility for hope.
That’s why I love this TED Talk by Diana Nyad called Never Give Up. At 64 years old, after four failed attempts earlier in her life, she accomplished what no person of any gender or age had ever done: she swam 100 miles in open ocean from Cuba to Florida. It was a journey that lasted 53 hours and that she had been dreaming of accomplishing since she was in her 20’s. Her mantra was, “Find A Way“. When she staggered onto the beach in Key West, one of the things she said was, “Never, ever, give up.” She reminds me that no matter how difficult our challenges, how low our spirit sinks (and she certainly met with crisis in her swim, which you will hear her describe in her talk if you listen, and I hope you do) there is always hope. As Laurence Vander Post said, “The depth of darkness to which you can descend and still live is an exact measure of the height to which you can aspire to reach.”
One of cruelest symptoms of depression is its tendency to rob a person of hope. The chemical imbalance of a depressed brain distorts reality and prevents a vision of a positive future. The depressed person sees no viable future. However, as my wise counselor advised me to repeat when I was depressed, THIS TOO SHALL PASS. In addition, I used a daily survival plan to turn my attention away from the future to create the support that I needed to survive, one day at a time. You can see that plan in my e-book, Healing From Depression Naturally. Finally, the reprieve that I had been waiting for came to pass, and my long ordeal was at last over. My message since then has been:
If you are on the edge of the abyss, don’t jump.
If you are going through hell, don’t stop.
As long as you are breathing, there is hope.
As long as day follows night, there is hope.
Nothing stays the same forever.
Set an intention to heal,
Reach out for support,
And you will find help.
“Never are we nearer the light than when the darkness is deepest.” –Vivekananda
