EPISODE #102 -The Pursuit of Joy in the Shadow of Depression

Imagine starting your day with an uplifted spirit, a clear mind, and a positive outlook. That's what we're offering in today's episode — a path to finding happiness, even while navigating the rough terrain of mental illness. We're going to challenge you to redefine happiness, to remember your most joyous moments, and to incorporate simple, yet potent steps into your daily routine. We promise you'll learn strategies to break free from the monotony of life and experience profound joy, even amidst struggles.

In addition, we're sharing exciting ways for you to show your support and help our podcast thrive. Are you ready to go a step further and become a patron? We invite you to contribute via Patreon or join us in our fundraiser for the monumental 100th episode. And there's more — our brand new "Win Over Depression" journal. An empowering tool for tracking your progress and documenting the lessons learned from each episode. Together, let's embark on this journey towards overcoming depression and embracing happiness.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

Hello and welcome to when Over Depression. I am your host, tamara Trotter. This podcast is dedicated to the millions of sufferers of mental illness and those who try every single day to feel better. We encourage you to like and subscribe to our podcast, which can be found on Spotify, google Play and Apple Music. Please share this with someone who you know needs some encouragement to help them get through their day.

Speaker 1: 0:42

Today, we'll be talking about happiness, and so what is happiness? Happiness is a state of well-being and contentment which can be experienced as a pleasurable or satisfying situation or a striking expression of joy. It is a positive and pleasant emotion that ranges from contentment to intense joy. The definition of happiness can vary depending on the context and the individual's perspective. So, when you think about happiness in your life, where do you feel that you stand? Do you feel that you have pleasurable experiences, more pleasurable than any negative experiences you may have? When was the last time that you experienced intense joy? Because many of us suffer with a mental illness, it may be difficult for us to pinpoint when we felt intense joy. Maybe it was opening a birthday gift, or maybe you attended a wedding and you were just very happy for the couple who was getting married, or maybe it was the birth of a cousin, the birth of a grandson or a granddaughter, or maybe your own child. Maybe that was when you felt intense joy. And I want you to go back and think about in the last seven days, have you felt happiness In the last seven days, have you felt pleasure? And if not, I'd like for you to focus on the upcoming seven days and I want you to focus every single day on what it would look like or feel like for you to be happy and what is your definition of happiness.

Speaker 1: 2:45

I know for me, when I'm not feeling depressed and I'm not experiencing any symptoms of depression, I feel happy, I feel free, I feel like, wow, today I don't have anything bogging me down, there's nothing for me to kind of regroup about or redirect in my mind, and that's a great feeling. And, as a matter of fact, I've always said that when you are feeling at your best or you are able to overcome some circumstances, when you are feeling on top of the world because maybe you got some great news, I know for me I love to maximize that feeling as much as I can and when I do that, I try to stay on that really positive note and feeling so that I can write it out for as long as possible. And really, in the last several months probably the last three or four months I have been closer to not having many symptoms of depression that I've ever been in my life. And what do I equate that to? I really equate it to my purposeful intention every single day to meet the day head on and the goal to be productive, to take care of any task or goals that I am trying to meet, and to really, just, in my mind, ward off any feelings that may be creeping up, that may cause my mind to go back to the symptoms of depression. A lot of times I talk about feeling like you are sinking in quicksand and that nothing that you try works, but I want you to really just think about when, the last time that you felt happy or you felt good on the inside, what were you doing? What were you thinking? If you have downloaded the Moodlely app that's M-O-O-D-I-L-Y you've had the opportunity to keep track of your mood and you should be able to go back in the app and find when you rated your mood as being happy or pleasant, and I hope that you wrote down what you were doing during that time. And if you did, then I want you to recreate as many times as possible those exact feelings, that sentiment, and just continue to produce and recreate that particular day, because it really all starts with us.

Speaker 1: 5:42

It starts with our day. It starts with what we are feeling or thinking when we get up in the morning, when we get out of bed and our feet land on the ground. What are we thinking? How are we feeling? And that is the time when we really can focus in on making the best of the day. When you're washing your face, brushing your teeth, getting ready, think about a song that brings happiness to your mind. Think about the last time that you smiled or laughed and what that was about. And let that be the mindset that you start your day with. Because if you get up and you're feeling upset about having to get up and you're moping along and you're not feeling too good and you're just not looking forward to the day, then guess what? That's how the day is going to end up. But when you get up and you open up your blinds and you look at the sun, and the sun is shining and you're just grateful to be alive and well then. That puts your mind in the mood of happiness. It stimulates the neurons in your brain that allow that energy and that focus to come through. So just try that in the next seven days, and I want you to write down in your journal what did you do to ensure your happiness in and on that particular day? What specific action step did you take?

Speaker 1: 7:19

Another very important part of managing our depression is making sure that we are getting a healthy start to our day by eating a healthy breakfast. And I know that some people say I just don't like breakfast in the morning. I'm not a morning person, but even if you just get up and you have a cup of tea or a cup of coffee and a Danish or some toast toast with butter on it because, believe it or not, these small steps will go a long way. And I've also talked about the importance of taking a shower. Even if you take a shower and put your pajamas back on, the fact that that water hits your face is going to help you get to a happier place in a happier state of mind.

Speaker 1: 8:12

Remember, we have to decide when we're going to make some changes and do something differently, because if we continue to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. That is the definition of insanity, and I just want you to realize that the onus is upon us, meaning that no one can really help us feel better but us. Someone can give you some encouraging words, they can inspire you to do something that maybe they do when they're filling down, and all of that is great and good, but what can you do? Because in the middle of the night, when you're feeling the symptoms of depression, you have to rely on yourself or your accountability coach in order to help you get to a better place in your mind. So I want you to build your personal toolbox with as much words of encouragement, positivity and things that you can do, actions that you can take, that are going to help you get out of your head, because really it is our mind, and how we are feeling and what we're doing and what our brain is telling us, that is making us feel depressed.

Speaker 1: 9:57

When we go back and we reflect on the things that do not make us happy, and especially during December, when we know that there are only 28 days left in the entire year, we start to think about the year and our successes or our accomplishments and we begin to feel dismayed and sad about what we feel we could have or should have accomplished. And because we know that December is a month that's going to cause us to potentially feel that way, we have to already be equipped with some practical steps in order to not get to that place. And that's why we have to be proactive, because we know that we are susceptible to having episodes of depression and therefore we have to put the proactive steps and measures in place to ward off the depression and to keep it at bay. And therefore your homework. When was the last time you felt happy? What did that look like? Describe it Was anyone with you? What were you doing? And can you create that state of mind again and repeat it day after day?

Speaker 1: 11:33

And I know that, as I've said in so many of my episodes, being depressed is a chore, or suffering from depression is a chore. But when we accept the cards that we've been dealt and we decide that we're going to take a proactive stance and attitude, then we put ourselves in a better position to defeat the mental illness that we experience. I have mentioned in my past episodes that there are people waiting for you to fail and expecting you to fail, and that is so unfortunate, but it is true. So make sure that you are around people in your influence and in your circle, people who support your dreams. So I hope that you will begin to live out your purpose, because I know and I can tell that someone who is listening needs to hear this message, and I want you to know that it is not too late, that you still have a lot of living to do and it's up to you to decide. When are you going to start taking care of yourself and stop worrying about other people and start pursuing what you know is what you are called to do? So stay in the game of life. Remember giving up is never an option.

Speaker 1: 13:17

If it's late at night and you're listening to when over depression and you are contemplating suicide, this message is for you, and you have found this podcast not by accident. So I want you to not take your life. You are valuable. I want you to sleep it off. I want you to go to sleep Tomorrow. I want you to find someone you can confide in and tell them that you felt suicidal and that you are seeking help. You can call 211 in order to get someone on the phone to talk with you right now about how you're feeling. But when you commit suicide and even though I know you're not doing it on purpose, you're not trying to hurt anyone but when you commit suicide, you are passing that pain onto someone else and they will not understand why you took your life and they will be gripped with pain and thinking about what they could have done to save you. So, my friend, please don't take your life. Please stay in the game of life and it will get better. I never want to end my podcast without thanking you so very much for listening.

Speaker 1: 14:44

We continue to grow and we continue to reach more markets with our message. If you would like to join us, please consider going to my YouTube channel and subscribing. When over depression. You can also go to Pinterest at TT mental health expert, and you can look at the pens and the many messages that are there. In addition, you can find us on Instagram, twitter and LinkedIn at Tamera Trotter. That's TAMERATROTTER. Please remember that when you decide to live out and live up to your true purpose, you can never fail.

Speaker 1: 15:41

In addition, if you would like to become a patron and support this channel so that we can upgrade and increase our ads and possibly get some radio time. Please consider becoming a patron. As little as five to fifteen dollars per month will help us immensely. Please go to wwwpatreoncom. Backslash to Merit Trotter and you can join our team. We will also be conducting a fundraiser when we are when we have launched our 100th episode, which will be in the next nine episodes. We will get to 100, so if you would like to help us by donating a hundred dollars to our cause, you can do that a one-time gift on Patreon. In addition to that, you can also take note of the fact that we are now offering a when over depression journal where you can actually write down all your homework for the episodes, be able to keep it in a nice place where it's all together and you can look back on how far you've come, and that will be proof that you are making progress. Thank you so much for watching.