Winning the Battle Against Depression

Winning the Battle Against Depression

   If like me, you watched Ken Burns’ amazing Lewis and Clark documentary, you were likely saddened by the disintegration and suicide of Meriwether Lewis following the Corp of Discovery’s return from their trek to the Pacific Ocean.

   Meriwether Lewis was a brilliant but troubled man whose family had a history of mental health problems. Still he took life by the horns and fought through those horrific hours and days of unrelenting depression to become an educated and highly respected man.

   Fortunately, as many health professionals have discovered, a constant diet of challenge and problem solving often forces bouts of depression to temporarily lessen.

   Thomas Jefferson noted that while on the Expedition, Lewis’ struggle with depression abated.

   No, it hadn’t.

   But the constant difficulties and tribulations of daily life during their journey made it nearly impossible for Lewis to focus on his own gnawing sadness and the adrenaline bursts from the almost never ending dangers honed him into an awe inspiring figure and national hero.

   Through the most harrowing of times he remained a calm and decisive leader, much of it likely due to the stabilizing influence of his good friend William Clark. He built friendships with the Indians tribes and created a template for what our relationships with the Native Americans could have, and clearly should have been as we expanded across the nation.

   What I found so inspiring was Lewis’ indomitable drive, his refusal to permit any difficulty to dissuade him from the task at hand. He was a man bound by honor and friendship. He had been entrusted with the mission by President Jefferson and would not let anything stop him from accomplishing that task.

   They set out in May of 1804 and spent over 2 years traveling over uncharted territory. 

   
   What Lewis and Clark and the Corp of Discovery saw and encountered had never before been experienced by white people. And because the United States is such a vast expanse their environment radically changed many times as their journey progressed.

   They also encountered animals, the likes of which were unknown in the civilized…

    But enough of the history lesson.

   What truly stunned and saddened me was what happened after the expedition. Lewis and Clark were national heroes. Much due to Lewis and Clark’s skilled leadership, the entire Corp of Discovery (save one who died of a burst appendix) returned home safely. The nation loved and admired them. Parties and gala events were held in their honor.

   Lewis and Clark were rewarded with huge tracks of land and positions of great power and authority.

   And why not? They had proven their ability to take complex and difficult situations and bring them to positive conclusions.

   But Meriwether Lewis’ demons were now well rested and ready to place new horrors on the psyche of the emotionally and physically drained explorer.

   Although he had kept a painstakingly accurate journal of their adventure, upon their return Lewis was seemingly unable to write the book about their expedition that Jefferson was eagerly anticipating.

   In addition, Meriwether, the man who had found a way to overcome countless difficulties and dangers had lost the ability to control his own life. Personal problems festered and grew, he lost track of his expenditures, the women he courted quickly distanced themselves from him. He became progressively unable to do his job and it soon overwhelmed him.

   He became dependant on alcohol and morphine to combat the malaria he had contracted. And his unsteadiness caused the predators to gather. He was soon accused of financial mismanaging the Expedition.

   While on route to Washington to clear his name he continued to deteriorate. While stopped in Tennessee he said his friend William Clark would be arriving soon to accompany him.

   Clark was thousands of miles away and knew nothing of this nor of Lewis’ emotional collapse.

   In an apparent emotional freefall, Meriwether Lewis put a gun to his head and... 

   ...My God.

   I think the reason this sad turn of events stunned me is because Ken Burns’ storytelling had made me know the man, as well as like and admire him.

   Strangely, we share the same birthday.

   My last blog post was about struggling with emotional issues. I usually write a new blog post ever day or so, but that one was getting some many hits that I decided to step back and let it run its course.

   If you are battling difficult emotional issues, there are techniques you can learn to take control and keep depression, anxiety and stress at bay. Since we are all different, some of these techniques will be very effective, others partially effective and some not at all.   

Learn more HERE

Chronic Anxiety, Phobias, Depression, OCD?

   Do you have anxiety attacks, phobias, depression, OCD, or post traumatic stress disorder? If you’re in the arts odds are you probably have one or more. Writers for example have a high rate of suicide, alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual perversions, chronic depression, hypertension etc.

   Ain’t life grand!

   Before I was the delight to be with that I am today, I admit I had some problems with anxiety. I came to the conclusion that the majority of people had anxiety thermostat of about 25-35 and when things got crazy that thermostat could rise as high as 70-75.

   On a daily basis my hovered at around 75-85.

   If this sounds like you, clickhere: 

   I never slept (still don’t). When I was a young kid my parents would visit with my aunt and uncle on Long Island (in NY) on the weekends. Usually we’d head home between 1-2 am. My brother and sister were always sound asleep in the back seat.

   As for me, I stood on the back seat hump between the two front seats (there were no seatbelts in those days) and carefully stood guard in case my father somehow became sick or injured and was unable to drive. I was convinced that should it become necessary, I could pilot the car to safety.

   To this day I have never fallen asleep in anything other than a bed.

   Ever.   

   I attempted to cover my introversion, shyness and anxiety by keeping a low profile but that wound up being viewed as snobbery and as such, I spent most of my childhood fighting jerks.

   By my teen years I had become the embodiment of the rebel without a clue. Angry and rebellious, I remember a girl friend asking me why I hated the world so much and I replied, “Because the world hated me first.”

   Fortunately we usually outgrow such douchebaggery and realize the world has more important issues to deal with than to give us a second thought.

   But that still left the problem of the chronic anxiety and introversion. I was able to conquer the introversion by becoming the lead singer in a rock and roll band. Some anxieties, I have learned, are caused by our constantly maneuvering to avoid some personally disorder from being found out.

   Good to know but it doesn’t solve the problem.

   If this sounds like you then clickhere

   I was concerned when my daughter was young because she was exhibiting the same personality traits I had. Fortunately my daughter has single-mindedness that I find awe inspiring.

   In her teens she announced she was joining a martial arts class. When I asked why she said, “I’m sick of people saying nasty things about me behind my back. I’ve always tried to be nice but they still treat me like crap. So since I can’t get them to like me, then I’ll get them to be afraid of me.

   After a few months of training I was stunned by the change in her personality. Gone was the shy wallflower with the defensive posture. Here now was a self-assured, confident leader who stood up to anyone who dared challenge her.

   As for my anxiety, over the years I attended a number of different therapies, some helped, other were useless and over time I used a combination of what I had learned, physical training and dietary changes and brought my anxiety under control.

   But it took decades. And frankly nobody should be under that kind of unrelenting pressure for the better part of their lives.

   When I first got into affiliate marketing I was taught to start each day by listening to a positive reinforcement video on youtube, People like Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Wayne Dyer etc. By listening to them I learned that you often become what you tell yourself you are.

   If you berate yourself by saying things like, 'I’m such a loser', your brain reads this as information to be stored and not simply a rant. Do this enough and your brain will accept this as fact and your personality will change to accommodate that belief.

   This is proven fact. So never berate yourself or treat yourself in a manner you wouldn’t tolerate coming from someone else.

   So if you are suffering from chronic anxiety, depression, phobias, OCD, post traumatic stress disorder and yes, even hoarding, you can literally retrain your brain to stop those destructive behaviors.

   The most successful method available today is what’s known as the Linden-Method. It has a 96% success rate, has hundreds of testimonials and is recognized by the National Institute of Mental health (NIMH) as a valid treatment regimen and is 100% guaranteed to work. It doesn’t involve any drugs or yoga or hypnotism.

   It’s the 21^st century. Great strides have been made in medicine over the last few years, especially with personality disorders. So if you have condition that’s been making your life harder for years, why not learn how to put an end to that problem once and for all

   Check out the Linden-Method, it works!

 http://www.linden-method.com/?hop=czar101