A New Name

Wow, have the words "anxiety" and "depression" been thrown around a lot. The mainstream media seems to have latched on to these two words and so has the general public. How many people have you met in the past 3 years who have practically introduced themselves and identified themselves as anxious and depressed? It happens to me all the time. My clients are 16-18 years old and they call themselves by those names. In my mind, I have come to see the term as linked: anxietyanddepression, and it's become vogue to call ourselves and to refer to others by that name.

As I taught my classes about the pursuit of happiness, one day we got into the discussion about what happiness is NOT. And I heard these words, anxiety and depression, thrown around my classroom a lot. I told my students, "You've got to eliminate from your lives the things that do not serve you and begin to walk toward the things that do. If anxiety and depression are the things that are holding you back from being truly, authentically happy, then it's time to call yourselves by a different name."

I was met with one scathing email from a student who wanted to educate me on what her situation has been like. I read it compassionately and I certainly know that these are real conditions. Some people really do have anxiety and depression and sometimes, it's severe. I went no further than a heartfelt apology because she was feeling so hurt by what I had to say in class that week. But it got me to thinking. Are these things changeable? Are they able to be overcome? I believe that they are. The way to surmount them is to begin calling ourselves by a different name. So where does that start? In my case, I have chosen to focus on hope and joy. That can also be linked: hopeandjoy. The two really do go hand in hand.

If you have gotten caught up in the swirl of negativity by (and this is my NON-MEDICAL opinion) calling yourself by these names, perhaps it's time to take a step back, think about how you've been living, and begin the mental exercise of calling yourself something different. Make a list. Focus on the things that you feel you ought to be calling yourself. And begin to take the necessary steps to walk in that direction.

Happy New Year!