It is quite hard to deal with depression. Our mind is trained to find a solution to the problems we are dealing with. It is clear that sometimes the best choice is to slow down, breathe and take our time waiting for the answer.

I was working with a man who had severe anxiety and stress. He was trying to handle a tough economic climate for his sales job and also helping himself not become fearful. I told him that there are times where he is not in control of the outcomes. He told me that he didn’t like to let go and much of his accomplishments came from pressing forward and pushing towards his goals. I agreed that persistence is positive but that he can only do so much.

We began to look at his present situation. Even though business was slow, he could keep working. He could continue to call and connect with his clients. He could also spend the down time reading, relaxing and practicing letting go of his stress. One of his motivations for this work is so he can be prepared when the environment improves.

You may be going through your own battle at the moment. It may be a feeling of sadness, loss, isolation or fear. There may be a money issue, feeling stuck or not being sure how to move forward. I encourage you to let go in trying to control the outcome. You can do your best to stay positive and that is extremely helpful. It is also positive to create healthy outlets for your feelings and emotions. This means doing physical activity, reading educational and uplifting books, finding forms of expression and letting go of stress. When you take these simple steps, you are making sure to care for yourself. We need to support our own health in order to be able to assist those around us.