THANKSGIVING DAY

“I saw that I had been living too much alone, too much aloof from my fellows, and too deaf that voice within. Instead of seeing myself as a simple agent bearing the message of experience, I had thought of myself as a founder of A.A.

How much better it would have been had I felt gratitude rather than self-satisfaction – gratitude that I had once suffered the pains of alcoholism, gratitude that a miracle of recovery had been worked upon me from above, gratitude for the privilege of serving my fellow alcoholics, and gratitude for those  in the fellowship   which bound me ever closer to them in a comradeship, such as few societies of men have ever known.

Truly, did  a clergyman say to me, “Your misfortune has become your good fortune. You A.A.’s are a privileged people.”

Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.

” I TOO AM GRATEFUL FOR  THE TWELVE STEPS OF  DEPRESSED ANONYMOUS   OF RECOVERY  FROM  DEPRESSION.  THE FACT THAT I ONCE SUFFERED THE PAIN OF DEPRESSION AND NOW I AM FREE  PROVIDES ME WITH A GRATITUDE ATRTITUDE,  DAY IN AND DAY OUT!

Hugh S.

When I was depressed I found it help to do some one thing, everyday that would keep me focused on my recovery. It was when I was deep down in the pit of hopelessness that I made a commitment to myself to do something positive for myself. I could no longer just “zombie” through a day and somehow magically think I was gonna  get through  whatever had my mind and motivation in chains.

Here is what I decided to do: I would walk every day. I would also join a 12 Step   program of recovery. The main thing is to have a plan and stick to it everyday. Move the body and the mind will follow. As a result, I began to get into a  rhythm  where I was able to keep motivated and was keeping faith with myself as I accomplished one small goal after another.

Today, I want to share with you, a simple plan of action for your own recovery here at depresedanon.com. Everything to inspire you to get moving is on the pages of this website.  So, first of all, here is a suggested plan of action.

For each day of  the week, for the coming  12 days, go to the TOOLS FOR RECOVERY menu, choose one of the TOOLS to work on for that day.  You will see that the following 12 TOOLS are all part of the healing elements for recovery from depression.

1. Being in Nature 2. Cut off Negative thinking (The Law of the Threes) 3. Exercise 4.Journaling 5.Music 6. Nutrition 7.Positive self- talk 8.Sleep  9. Social engagement (support groups) 10.Stay in the present 11. Removing stress 12. The Serenity Prayer.

So, pick one for yourself and print it out and put it in a notebook. There you can keep it in front of you for each  day as part of a written campaign to help yourself.  Also, this will be a good plan/record  book to see where you have been and where you are going in your recovery…on a daily basis.

Besides working with the TOOLS OF RECOVERY, you might go to the menu’s NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES where you can choose one of the issues for more insights into the Depressed Anonymous Program of Recovery. These Newsletters can be read in conjunction with the TOOLS  as an added motivation for each day’s consideration.

Finally, before you start working your planned activity for each day–you might preselect 12 POSTS  from the  past editions as you move from one day to the next. And remember, you are setting goals only for one day at a time.

Remember the riddle “How do you eat an elephant? Simple. One bite at a time.”

We know, especially those of us who are procrastinators, “that to fail to plan is to plan is to fail. Makes sense to me. Set small goals for each day, stick to it and you will begin to see progress as you gradually work yourself out of depression.

For more information please contact us at Depanon@netpenny.net

Hugh

The essence of the experience of depression is that you are alone in some kind of prison. You can describe your prison. You might see your prison as being at the bottom of a deep pit, or locked inside of a cage, or wrapped in a shroud.  You might feel that you are stumbling across a stony desert, or through a thick fog, or that a large black bird is crouched on your shoulders, making it  impossible for you to move.  Whatever your image, you are alone, and in this prison you are both the miserable prisoner and the cruel prison guard.   When we are simply unhappy, no matter what terrible  fate has befallen us, we still feel a connection to the rest of the  world and to ourselves.  We let others comfort us, and feel warmed and supported, and we comfort ourselves. But when we are depressed, no warmth or support comes through our prison wall, and we punish ourselves most cruelly.”

COMMENTS

If the quotation above,  from Dr. Dorothy Rowe,  paints a picture of yourself,  then you will find  answers for your own recovery at our Home page website  at depessedanon.com.  Literature is also available at Depressed Anonymous Publications Bookstore.

The Successful Self: Freeing Our Hidden Inner Strengths. Dorothy Rowe. (1988) Harper Collins/Publishers. London. Pages 197-198.

When I was depressed I found walking around the beautiful grounds of a Franciscan monastery providing me with moments of peace and hope. In the midst of hundreds of acres of wooded land I felt a part of something greater and more beautiful than the ugliness of my thoughts which colored everything and which felt like a glass wall that separated me from everything around me. The monastery lake was calm and looked like a sheet of blue sparkling water, with diamond -like sprouts, popping up  all over the surface.

The mood of the entire  area had a calming effect on my racing thoughts and the negative perceptions that I had brought with me into this idyllic nature sanctuary. It reminded me of Walden’s comments about the purity and freshness of the morning air at Golden Pond. He thought that it would have been wonderful to have it bottled up with its powerful scent always available. Another life giving refreshment for me came as I walked an earthen trail circling the oval shoreline.

One of the great tendencies of depression is to retreat into the comfort of isolation and aloneness. Being in the center of nature’s veritable cycloramic diversity,  I was surrounded by every kind of living growth, bush, trees and wildlife. There was an abundant activity all around and it  directs  our seeing, hearing and sense of smell, distracting us from our interior world of pain, isolation and chaos.

Just as signs on beautiful lawns ask us to “keep off the grass” so does our mind become drawn outside itself focusing onto that which is bigger than what has kept us riveted on thoughts causing us to feel hopeless and depressed. We learn that ever so slowly we can have a slight respite from worry, and the ruminations about how awful we feel.  We mistakenly believe that our misery will never end.

I believe that just moving the body in the world of nature will be a start for you, as it was for me, to have a hope that life has to get better. So, get up, get out of your solitude and find a world full of life, beauty and hope. This world of nature is waiting for you to enjoy and grow stronger because of it.

Hugh

A BEING IN NATURE is one of the Tools of Recovery recommended and  located in the drop down Menu on the depressedanon.com website  home page.

Time magazine writer,  Jamie Ducharme, in the 2018  Nov ember 19th issue of Time magazine, shares with us the benefits of going outdoors.  In fact, Dr. Robert Zarr in 2017 founded Park Rx America “to make it easier for more health profesionals to write park prescriptions for patients  of all ages, particularly those with obesity, mental health issues or chronic conditions like hypertension and type 2 Diabetes.”

Dr. Zarr,  a pediatrician, in Washington, D.C.,   writes  up to 10 park prescriptions a day. By writing these prescriptions the doctor is giving encouragement to get out in nature and experience  a number of positive benefits of going outdoors. The author lists the following benefits of being in the “green.”

“Relaxation

Studies have shown that spending time outdoors can decrease levels of the hormone cortisol, lower blood pressure and reduce other markers of stress.

Physical activity

Exercise is an important pillar of health, and going outside encourages you to get moving, whether by hiking, biking, gardening or strolling.

Social support

Parks are inherently social places. Seeing and interacting with others guards against loneliness – a major public health threat – and fosters community.

Mental health

Researchers has shown that spending time in green space can lift mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, including rumination and feelings of worthlessness.

Awe

Soaking in the arresting beauty of nature has been found to lower levels of inflammation in the body and spark feelings of generosity, perspective and selflessness.

Fresh Air

Pollution is linked to a number of ills, ranging from respiratory problems to cancer and heart disease -so breathing clean air may reduce your risks.”

The National Park Service’s Healthy Parks Healthy People program promoted parks as a ” powerful health prevention strategy” locally and nation ally.  Mentioned are the Walk with a Doc , which sponsors free physician led community walks is now in 47 states, and Park Rx which has  studied and tracked park prescription programs since 2013, says there are at least 33 states  and Washington, D.C.

NOTE:

Our website depressedanon.com at the drop down menu Tools of Recovery, lists Being in Nature  as one of the very important  tools for a depressed  person’s  recovery.

Personal comment:  Walking, I discovered,  played a major role in my recovery from depression.

Hugh/Editor

Dear Readers

For those of you who are subscribers to the DEPRESSED ANONYMOUS NEWSLETTERS, you can read the latest issue of the  VOLUME #2   FALL  2018 ISSUE  of the  ANTIDEPRESSANT TABLET.   Please visit our website <https://depressedanonymous.org> and look at the NEWSLETTERS ARCHIVE  at the drop down   menu list  (NEWSLETTERS ARCHIVE) of issues past and present.

Thank you,

Hugh S/Editor

The Antidepressant Tablet – Volume #2 – Fall 2018 Issue

The following are a few of the BLOGS from the past which I have selected to share with you in this FALL ISSUE. I hope you find their content helpful.

Thinking Unpleasant Thoughts Wear Me Out – Until I Did This

Just a note today to share with you something that you already know, namely, how the continuous thinking of unpleasant thoughts wears us out. One day, quite by accident I discovered a secret. I discovered how my mind was trying to fool me by making me believe that I was tired, worn out and needed to lie down and just sleep.

So again, I was wearing myself out with my gloom and doom thoughts when I believed I was too tired to do anything. I suddenly thought, “Hey, wait a minute, I don’t have to keep running from myself and let this fatigue force me down on my back.” So, what did I do? I went to my computer desk, and began to write. It was like driving through a blasting blizzard with nothing to be seen ahead of me except the hood of my car. I continued to write. The fatigue persisted. And then gradually with about ten minutes under my belt, my negative thoughts slowly replaced with thoughts focused on what I was banging out on my keyboard. I felt a resurgence of energy.

Now I wanted to continue to write. Gradually I began to feel the light of hope coursing through my arteries. It was like someone had turned on the light and gave me the secret to keep on my feet, so to speak, and regain the energy that I wanted to sleep away.

I distracted myself. I pulled away from the gloomy thoughts and focused all my attention on creating something brand new. I now know that I can walk away from that which would have continued to immobilize my desire to be free.

Try it. It works for me. It can work for you as well.
Originally published 1-8-2016

How To Live Outside The Box? The Depression Box

If you really want to begin to “live outside the box”, a description of what the box feels like and looks like might be helpful for you. First of all, a box has an identifiable shape. It is a box mainly because it contains something -whatever that something might be. And when we speak of the subject of depression, we talk about depression having us boxed in.

The box as it is used here, is a metaphor for feeling enclosed from which there is no exit. It is like being trapped or like in a prison. Now, in order to live outside the box we want to live creatively, which means that we are having to learn how to live outside the box. Now, if you find this hard to believe, I will explain what I mean.Just briefly, my own experience with depression can be used as an example.

First of all, when I was depressed, I thought that I was losing my mind. The box that I put myself in was getting more restricting by the day and making my life hell. I could see no way out. I was trapped. “What could I do?” I asked myself. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t just will these feelings and thoughts away – like taking a broom and brushing them out of my life. No matter which way I turned, I hit a wall. With no answers forthcoming on how to keep my head above water, my body slowly was being sucked down into the quicksand of despair. The thought came to me, much like that small glimmer, a tiny light so far away, but nevertheless a light. It was like the lighthouse which warns seafarers that rocks were nearby and to be watchful before approaching.

My mind began to race here and there for a way out of the box and suddenly it hit me – I needed to get moving. Move the body. Get busy. The key out of this prison was already in my hand. And now, those of us here in the Depressed Anonymous program of recovery, who have been using “out of the box” ideas to work in our daily lives, want to share what has worked for us. We know if you actually use them for your own recovery, they are bound to ultimately free you. That is the promise I share with you today.The following activities, listed below, are some of the tools that will get you “out of the box” when you get serious about using them. I think taking a close and personal look at the following tools will not only help you get “out of the box” but can be tools that you will be able to utilize, day after day, as you continue your recovery.

1. Exercise is a great tool if you happen to be depressed or not.
2. Getting out into nature will also help put your mind on beauty andyour surroundings.
3. Overcoming fear is also a great place to learn how to get out of the box. Learn about “first fear” and “second fear.” Fear does seem to be at the center of our life when depressed.
4. Recite the Serenity Prayer as often as you need it.
5. The Present. Staying in the now.
6. Making use of the God Box. This is an exercise, a simple one at that, which helps us learn the discipline of “letting go”.
7. Feelings need to be examined and expressed. We will look at why expressing feelings is so important, instead of having them bottled up and causing all sorts of physical and emotional problems.
8. Disable negative thinking: learning how to short circuit negative thoughts when they pop into our minds.
9. Reading Depressed Anonymous literature and all material on the subject.
10. Learn how we all have choices. We make those decisions that bring us closer to freedom – not those that continue to imprison and box us in.
11. Journaling is a great tool for writing down what has been our experience for the day. It helps to clarify our thinking and put things into perspective.

We can take our time to evaluate our response to each of the tools listed and so make our own notes as how to use these recommended ideas for our own recovery.”NOTE: At the site menu page (depressedanon.com) you can click onto the drop down menu TOOLS FOR RECOVERY to read more about the tools and how to use them.
Hugh
Originally published 1-17-2015

So Far Today!

So far today God, I’ve done all right’
I haven’t gossiped.
I haven’t lost my temper.
I haven’t been grumpy, nasty or selfish.
I’m really glad of that.
But in a few minutes,
God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on,
I’m probably going to need a lot of help!

The World Of The “Selfie” Mirrors A World Of The Isolated And Disconnected

In our ongoing discussion of the ecology of the depression experience, and looking at the personal, biological and environmental facts that are each part of the whole, we are able to make some observations about how to overcome this human and life threatening reality. Environmentally, we have seen the post-industrial society, at least in America, become a nation of diminished size of families (1 in 4 Americans now live alone), fewer family farms and more persons living in isolated and disconnected environments. It appears that we all are moving away from that wholesome community form of life toward an individualistic and SELFIE generation. The “we” society is gradually turning into the “me” generation.To quote David Karp (Speaking of Sadness, Pg.195) he states:

The estimated 11-15 million people suffering from depression and the million more with anxiety disorders are the victims of a society that has lost sight of what I now see as a shared sociological and spiritual message. It is that our individual emotional health and health of society are inseparable. If we do not nourish society by revitalizing our individual responsibilities to it, we pay the price in terms of individual illness.

In this way, those millions pained by affective disorders are part of a dialectical process in which the extent of collective suffering eventually causes an urge to change the social structures that has made so many of us ill. During this current of cultural discontent we may be better able to appreciate the spiritual message that all of us are connected to and responsible to each other. Although we can never return to the small, intimate communities of the Nineteenth century, such a communitarian vision is the necessary starting place of efforts at social reconnection and thereby the creation of a more generally happy society.

In another place Karp contends “we may be at a juncture where we are ready as a culture to see the wisdom in the spiritual idea that our individual well-being is inseparable from that seamless web of connections…”At our Depressed Anonymous group fellowship meetings it is evident how the “we” trumps the “me” at every turn and how the “we” of the fellowship produces, not only societal recovery from isolation and being disconnected, it also provides the tools in which a community of people who care about each other is built. Won’t you care to join in this community building adventure? Search our website menu at depressedanon.com to find a Depressed Anonymous meeting in your community. If there was none, then you might want to check out the HOME STUDY PROGRAM from our website and determine if this would be an appropriate route to take for your own recovery.

You can also contact the author of this BLOG at Depanon@netpenny.net.
Hugh

Originally published 11-30-2015

TRUE OR FALSE

1. You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.
2. My reality check bounced.
3. I don’t suffer from stress. I am a carrier!

Publication News

There are presently 4 individuals who are working with the Home Study Program of recovery: two in the USA, one in the Netherlands, a Step Study group (25 members) in Iran. See more information about the Home Study Program of Recovery from our website.

Also, good news for those who speak Spanish (1/3 of earth’s population is said to speak Spanish). Depressed Anonymous Publications is making it possible to have our Depressed Anonymous Manual, the 3rd edition, translated into Spanish. Hopefully, this work will be completed shortly after the New Year. The translator lives in Louisville and is a native of South American.

A DA member from the Netherlands is translating our work into Dutch so that she can share this program with those interested in her country. She is also working with a member of a 12 Step person from Portugal desirous of setting up an International DA Step Study SKYPE online group.

Our group literature is presently published in English, Farsi (Iran) and Russian (Ukraine).

Dep-Anon Family Group Manual: A Twelve Step Support Group For Families And Friends Of The Depressed

Dep-Anon is a support group for family and friends of the depressed. This program is similar to AL-ANON where family members gather to help each other learn how to detach and cope with a loved one’s alcoholism. In the same way, DEP-ANON is an effort of family and friends to gather together and learn to live with and cope with their loved one’s depression. Now is a good time, I believe, in the history of our 12 Step Fellowship to spend time refining and detailing strategies for helping family members and friends of the depressed to understand help support the depressed. In fact, the name chosen for this companion to Depressed Anonymous is DEP-ANON.

The recovery program of DEP-ANON is based on the 12 Steps and each step featured as an individual chapter in the DEP-ANON manual. A commentary is included for each Step for family members and friends to use in their group or as individuals. Also, each Step chapter concludes with a questions section providing material for group discussion.

An important note is that this seventy-seven Page manual was written and developed by two members of the DA fellowship. They came to Depressed Anonymous wanting to learn more about depression. One of the members lived with a depressed husband. The other member had a depressed daughter. By sharing together their experiences and applying the principles of the 12 steps to their situations, they came up with the idea for a DEP-ANON. We all are grateful for these two women for putting together a book that uses the 12 Steps of recovery for their own lives, friends and families of the depressed.

For recent and past issues of the Depressed Anonymous Newsletters, please click onto NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE at our website menu. Thank you.

CONTACT US AT:
Depressed Anonymous Publications
Website: depressedanon.com
Email : depanon@netpenny.net

                                                                  2018 FALL NEWSLETTER

  ( Go to Newsletter Archives Menu for  articles)

ARTICLES

 1) Thinking unpleasant thoughts wears me out–Until I did this.

2)How to live outside the box? The Depression box.

3)So far today

4) The World of the “selfie” mirrors a world of the isolated and disconnected.

5) TRUE OR FALSE?

6) Depressed Anonymous Spanish edition  (2019)

7) Dep-Anon Family Group manual: A Twelve Step Support Group for Families and Friends of the Depressed. (Visit the Depressed Anonymous Publications Bookstore)

Welcome to the new DA meeting   Sunday night in  San Jose, California

                                                     EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT

                                            Meeting place:  Alano  Club

                                                           TIME: 7 PM

                                               East 1122 Fair Avenue

                                                      San Jose, CA

Today is the beginning of a new   school year. The yellow buses are out in force.  In our metro area we have at least 600 yellow buses  on the road today and for the rest of the academic year.  A family member of mine, who lives in a county school district,  has four children starting school today. Each  child climbing onto a different bus. At his home the four buses come to his home (not at the same time) and there  pick up a High School student, a middle school child,  a special needs child and  an elementary child. Each child will have an  unique story to tell their Mother when they get off their bus today.

I remember my  first day at school. It is etched in my mind. Another new first grader, Freddy, refused to walk into the classroom where he was to be joined by 45 other kids. All newbies. His Mother, having lost her patience, had junior   by the scruff of the neck,  carrying him into the classroom, with him screaming and crying. “I ain’t comin’ in.”  That is all I remember of my first day of school. Or, should I say, Freddy’s  first day of school.

Many of us have memories of that first day of school and I hope that yours was more pleasant than Freddy’s or mine.

Now fast-forward the tape thirty years later. I was being forced to go to another type of school. I had to attend a 12 Step meeting because of an addiction.  I used the same words that Freddy used, and whispered to my self that “I ain’t goin’ in.”  Actually I did go in.  I took a seat and forced myself to listen to people talking about their addictions. I found everyone friendly and supportive. They welcomed me like a long LOST brother. Let’s put the emphasis on the word LOST. I definitely was down with my face in the dirt.

That was 32 years ago this coming December. Do  you know what I learned that first day of life’s schooling? I learned to take  one day at a time. Keep life simple. Be honest always. Admit I needed help. Have faith in a power greater than yourself.  Stick close to your classmates (group members). Help others who like myself, are still suffering. Tell your story.

Hugh