Summers - Breaking up with depression: the superchicks guide to overcoming the blues

BREAKING UP WITH DEPRESSION

THE SUPERCHICKS GUIDE TO OVERCOMING THE BLUES

Michelle Summers

AuthorHouse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: 1-800-839-8640

2012 by Michelle Summers. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 12/30/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4685-3898-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-3897-7 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

Have you ever been in a relationship that you know is not good for you? Maybe you stay in it simply because you are comfortable, you are afraid of change, you dont have the motivation or support from others, or you simply dont believe there is something better. Well I am here to tell you that your motivation, support, and encouragement are here and there is something better! There is light at the end of the tunnel, there is a rainbow after the storm, there is summer after winter, and joy after pain. So put down your ice-cream and throw away your sweat pants because the best way to get through something is exactly that, through it. We are going to endure this together, laugh together, cry together, attack this together, and conquer this together. We are going to learn what depression is and how to overcome it.

You may have been battling depression for so long that you have lost hope. You may have lived with it your whole life, seen numerous counselors, journaled your heart out, prayed until you were speechless, and tried so many medications that you could become a certified pharmacist just from your experience alone; but now you have the tools and education of how to put all of those attempts together into one for a lasting success! In this book we are going to speak about how to conquer depression by attacking it from all sides. We are going to learn about what causes depression, where it comes from, and how we can defeat it by nutrition, exercise, healthy thinking, and coupling all of that with the help from our higher power. We will not just be doing one thing or another, yet we will be grouping multiple things that are proven to help and enhance our emotional being.

Today we start the first day of the rest of our lives. A new life. A better life. A life of purpose, intent, and happiness. Today, we are breaking up with depression!

Success will never be a big step in the future,
success is a small step taken just now.
~Jonatan Mrtensson

I would like to talk about an old acquaintance of mine by the name of Doubt. Doubt in the dictionary means to be uncertain about, to consider questionable or unlikely, or to hesitate to believe. It is also known as a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something. Doubt is an acquaintance that we all have. You probably even brought doubt along with you when you went to buy this book or had a conversation with doubt after a friend brought this book to you. Doubt says struggling with depression is all too familiar to you.

For those of us that have been acquaintances of doubt for a long time, we may have heard him say that we have been feeling blue for so long that there really isnt even any help out there for us. Doubt tells us that there is nothing we can do to get away from this feeling, that nothing could ever happen to make our problems or blue feelings go away. But we are women, and not just any women; we are strong women and courageous women! We take care of ourselves whether it be financially, emotionally, or any other aspect that has got us this far. No matter how many years we have or dont have behind us in our journey in life, we have got ourselves this far. Yes, we may have had slight help along the way. Our parents raised us, gave us food, clothing, and shelter. Some of us may have been lucky enough to have mentors, advisors, and friends. But ultimately no one can and has taken care of us but us, and you my friend, have done just that.

No matter where you are in life you have got yourself here because you were strong enough to do it. It may have been easy thus far for some or difficult the whole way for others, but look around you. Look at your arms, your legs, your hair, your body. You are here and you alone have brought yourself here. You are the one that has got yourself out of bed every day, you have carried yourself by your own two legs to carry out the duties that your day asks of you, and chances are you have been doing it for a really long time. Do not sale yourself short! You are a powerful woman and have accomplished many great things. And now you alone are taking the steps to gain an even better life for yourself.

Perhaps you decided to read this book with a friend but you alone are still making the choice that only you can make to read it, follow its steps, and get your life under control. So give yourself some major Superchick credit here. As women we like to short sale ourselves, our talents, our efforts, and our accomplishments. I dont know where we have learned it but we have. It may be because life short sales us sometimes or we feel that we must short sale ourselves because if we fool those around us into believing our efforts were nothing then it makes us seem that much stronger. As women we like to say Oh it was nothing after we cook a great meal for a feast of people or at a young age put ourselves through college, and we like to put a smile over our hard work and sweat and hope no one notices. Why? We know we are sending out a message that we really dont want people to receive. We are sending the message of Please dont thank me, dont tell me congratulations, and definitely dont pat me on the back; when in reality, thats EXACTLY what were longing for!

Did we learn this behavior somewhere along the journey of life? Where the heck did it come from? I dont have the answer. In fact, everyones story is different. Some of us may have learned it in church, some may have learned from our parents, our siblings, a spouse, or in school. Regardless, today we are conscious of our over willingness to short sale anything and everything we do and it stops here. Today its time to start learning to give ourselves the appreciation and credit that we are due. Next time you find yourself cooking, cleaning, working, leaving aside time for socializing, making ourselves beautiful, and all the other million tasks we seem to fit into our day dont shrug it off as if it is no big deal. Remind yourself of how strong and brave you are. Your day DOES take a lot of effort and only a Superchick could do it.

Although, an enormous amount of responsibility has been given to the role of women throughout time, that enormous amount of responsibility was not our original intention. Women went from having the sole responsibility of nurturing and caretaking to a whole list of duties and tasks. Nurturing and caretaking are both full time jobs in themselves. A lot of times we dont give ourselves enough credit for all of the added responsibilities we have been given over the years. But if you take a second to really think about all the things you have done for yourself you will be amazed. Theres our first problem. We wonder why we are so down, depressed, blue, and burdened. Theres your answer! You cant possibly feel good about yourself as a woman if you are constantly putting yourself down and minimizing the many contributions you sew into society on a daily basis and without even acknowledging the hard work you put into it.