Tag: hope

managing depression article by phoebe chi

Managing & Overcoming Depression: 7 Practical Tools

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Depression. One word that can mean so many things. For those who have lived or currently live with depression, you know very well the impact it can have on your daily life. Depression can drain not only your physical energy but also your hopes, motivation, enjoyment, and personal drive. You may be aware of all the steps to getting better, but you just cannot get yourself to take even the first one.

If this sounds all too familiar to you, you are not alone. And there is hope. This article will present seven practical tips for overcoming depression and its symptoms that will help you take back your life.

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Cynthia Cady Stanton poem on the wing of the breath

On the Wing of the Breath [a poem]

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By Cynthia Cady Stanton | Featured Contributor

Create some wind.
No matter what swirls around you,
add some air to it.
Whether it is a sigh 
or a deep gulp,
get it going.

Don’t get caught in the holding of your inner breezes.
This only creates pain…
Life is born in and through us
and it is only on the wing of our precious breath
that we can unfold and float
among the mountains and valleys.

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Evelyn Jervey Willburn depression story

In Which I Face Down Depression and Gain the Upper Hand

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By Evelyn Jervey Willburn | Featured Contributor

Looking back, I would say that the first time I became depressed was when I entered fourth grade. That year, my class was divided into two groups, and I found myself separated from all my previous year’s playmates. I didn’t bounce back: that year started my long, mostly self-imposed exile at school. At recess, I paced the perimeter of the playground, and as I moved up through the grades, I effectively rendered myself invisible. The occasional thoughtless comment that came my way from some popular kid became my excuse for further isolation. Once in seventh grade I went to see the school counselor, and she showed me a poster on her wall. In the poster, a group of cartoon hippos were piling into a small boat, threatening to swamp it. The caption read, “More is not always better.” That message stayed with me, in the background, but it was many years before I really understood it or was able to assimilate it into my worldview.

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in the right light inspirational poem Cynthia Cady Stanton

In the Right Light [a poem]

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By Cynthia Cady Stanton | Featured Contributor

In the right light,
the morning greets me
with the kind of hope needed
to float joyfully into the day.
I start with a smile
lit from within.

In the right light,
my elderly cat appears like a
kitten resting after deep play.
As the rays of sunshine he bathes in
shimmer across his gray coat,
they seem to hide how frail
he really is.

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Steven Michael Krystal poem phoebemd

A Small Voice from Within [a poem]

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By Steven Michael Krystal | Featured Contributor

I have a friend, so do you, 
We share laughs and smiles all day through, 
For all of my life, telling me what to do, 
A small voice from within, tried and true. 

When we are kids, fun and play, 
Days of bliss, all is okay, 
As we grow up, things don’t go our way, 
Life turns amiss, a steep price to pay. 

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