Getting help out of the hole, reminds me of a story I heard:
A man was stuck down a deep hole, he tried everything and couldn’t get out
A priest walked by. The man called for help. The priest said a prayer and walked on.
Much time passed. A doctor walked by. The man called out for help. The doctor wrote a prescription, threw it down to him and walked on.
The man lost hope. Then a friend walked by. The man called out for help. The friend jumped in to the hole.
“What are you doing?” Said the man in the hole, “Now we’re both stuck”. “Ah yes” replied the friend. “But I’ve been stuck down this hole before and I know how to get out”.
Sharing your story getting out of the hole will help others do the same. Reminds me of something else I read - ‘Write, because out there is someone with a wound that only the shape of your words can fill’
Wow Christine, this is such a cool story, I love it, and the message behind it! Super grateful you shared it here for everyone else to read too! Thank you for your share, and the impact!
Thanks for your honesty Hoss. I believe in you. Stay with a supportive crowd. Substack is a great place to be! Keep making small progress each day and the momentum will build for you. We have a men's support group where we talk about enlightening topics. If you feel that might be for you, feel free to message me. It's free.
I used to get terribly depressed due in large part to a tragedy in my life. I started treating it as if I had the flu. If I didn’t want to get out of bed, I wouldn’t. If when I did finally want to get out of bed, I would. And it went on from there. Like you say, baby steps. Finding all the little things I could be thankful for. I could take a shower! How wonderful. Make a great cup of coffee? Devine! Go outside and take in some sun, feel the rain, be thankful I had power to keep me warm or cool me down. Little by little, I began to enjoy the small things in life. Soon depression melted away and then as suddenly came back with a vengeance, I knew it was time again for some chicken soup, rest, sleep, walks and that devine cup of coffee. Some self talk, prayers to help put it behind me became habits. Noticing all the things I could be grateful for became my backbone. Today, depression peaks its head around the corner, noticing I’m strong, resilient, mastering life on its terms, it quickly recedes behind that dark wall of doom. One day I may go grab it by the hand, expose it to the rays of faith and hope and together lie down in peace.
Thank you MissLadyK for sharing this story! You are absolutely correct, it's all about realizing the small joys in life. We decide when we want to come back to the world, and my hope is that people always make that choice to come back! No one really knows what anyone else has been through completely, but there is always support out there. We can situate ourselves around people who will listen to our stories, and support our healing. These communities are invaluable. I'm beginning to identify Substack as one of those places. I hope it stays that way.
Thank you DeeDee, this makes me feel great and is exactly what my mission is. To help people realize solutions to their problems faster than the time it took me. If I can save anyone some time and help them, it's a win in my book. Thanks for your comment, and for reading!
Hey Nick, this is an awesome read! I’m so glad you were able to feel better and get out of that dark place! I totally agree with you that starting small is the way to go! Putting extra pressure on yourself never helps. That’s exactly what happened to me when I first started writing and it made me more likely to quit. Everything changed when I had a goal, but started small with just writing consistently for 3 months. Once I did that, everything came together and I realized the value of being consistent at something. Thank you so much for sharing this! Keep up the great work! :)
Thanks for your lovely comment Khadejah! Starting small is really where it’s at! That’s a great goal of writing consistently for 3 months. Totally focuses on just doing the act and no added pressure! Great starting point! Perhaps this comment will inspire someone else to start small on a goal🔥. Thank you so much for reading and I’m really glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for your compliment Arathy! I'm really glad you enjoyed this piece! Happy to no longer be in this situation, but so glad to be able to share the experience with everyone today.
Thanks Lily! It wasn't easy but I definitely had help from a lot of lovely people and things around me. :D Realizing all that love was a big catalyst in getting me out of that dungeon.
The single most important thing is to do something. Anything. Of course you want to form new healthy habits. That takes time. But just doing something, even if it ends up the “wrong” thing.
Someone once told me, “Go work out for 15 hours straight and look in the mirror after. Did your body change? Now go workout for 30 minutes a day for 30 days in a row. Now look at your body.
We are creatures of excess and impulse. When what we want is slow and steady. So do something. Everyday. Workout. Read. Meditate. Pray. Whatever. Cook. Hobby. It matters not.
Getting help out of the hole, reminds me of a story I heard:
A man was stuck down a deep hole, he tried everything and couldn’t get out
A priest walked by. The man called for help. The priest said a prayer and walked on.
Much time passed. A doctor walked by. The man called out for help. The doctor wrote a prescription, threw it down to him and walked on.
The man lost hope. Then a friend walked by. The man called out for help. The friend jumped in to the hole.
“What are you doing?” Said the man in the hole, “Now we’re both stuck”. “Ah yes” replied the friend. “But I’ve been stuck down this hole before and I know how to get out”.
Sharing your story getting out of the hole will help others do the same. Reminds me of something else I read - ‘Write, because out there is someone with a wound that only the shape of your words can fill’
Wow Christine, this is such a cool story, I love it, and the message behind it! Super grateful you shared it here for everyone else to read too! Thank you for your share, and the impact!
say it once again with feeling "you DESERVE to feel better" !!!
we all have different paths, only ours is the right way to go for. us
Thank you Elizabeth for reading! I actually like your line format better than what I wrote! Very much appreciate your comment.
Thank you - I’m rock bottom but will climb
Thanks for your honesty Hoss. I believe in you. Stay with a supportive crowd. Substack is a great place to be! Keep making small progress each day and the momentum will build for you. We have a men's support group where we talk about enlightening topics. If you feel that might be for you, feel free to message me. It's free.
I used to get terribly depressed due in large part to a tragedy in my life. I started treating it as if I had the flu. If I didn’t want to get out of bed, I wouldn’t. If when I did finally want to get out of bed, I would. And it went on from there. Like you say, baby steps. Finding all the little things I could be thankful for. I could take a shower! How wonderful. Make a great cup of coffee? Devine! Go outside and take in some sun, feel the rain, be thankful I had power to keep me warm or cool me down. Little by little, I began to enjoy the small things in life. Soon depression melted away and then as suddenly came back with a vengeance, I knew it was time again for some chicken soup, rest, sleep, walks and that devine cup of coffee. Some self talk, prayers to help put it behind me became habits. Noticing all the things I could be grateful for became my backbone. Today, depression peaks its head around the corner, noticing I’m strong, resilient, mastering life on its terms, it quickly recedes behind that dark wall of doom. One day I may go grab it by the hand, expose it to the rays of faith and hope and together lie down in peace.
Thank you MissLadyK for sharing this story! You are absolutely correct, it's all about realizing the small joys in life. We decide when we want to come back to the world, and my hope is that people always make that choice to come back! No one really knows what anyone else has been through completely, but there is always support out there. We can situate ourselves around people who will listen to our stories, and support our healing. These communities are invaluable. I'm beginning to identify Substack as one of those places. I hope it stays that way.
So well written. This could help alot of People
Thank you DeeDee, this makes me feel great and is exactly what my mission is. To help people realize solutions to their problems faster than the time it took me. If I can save anyone some time and help them, it's a win in my book. Thanks for your comment, and for reading!
One thing that I found really helped was pressing the eject button on the way we think and speak to and about ourselves.
People abuse us and then We take over for them. 🤦🏼♀️
Drinking the Poison and waiting for them to die.
People Need to press the eject and realize that negativity attracts the same. But so does positive. ✅
I found the laws of the stoic helped me too. Your reasoned choice is all you have control of. Nothing else. It’s refreshing.
I also worry about the past and future and forget the present.
There is so much to learn we die we come back to try and do a better job 🤣🤣🤣
Hey Nick, this is an awesome read! I’m so glad you were able to feel better and get out of that dark place! I totally agree with you that starting small is the way to go! Putting extra pressure on yourself never helps. That’s exactly what happened to me when I first started writing and it made me more likely to quit. Everything changed when I had a goal, but started small with just writing consistently for 3 months. Once I did that, everything came together and I realized the value of being consistent at something. Thank you so much for sharing this! Keep up the great work! :)
Thanks for your lovely comment Khadejah! Starting small is really where it’s at! That’s a great goal of writing consistently for 3 months. Totally focuses on just doing the act and no added pressure! Great starting point! Perhaps this comment will inspire someone else to start small on a goal🔥. Thank you so much for reading and I’m really glad you enjoyed it.
Exactly Nick! Hopefully it does! Thank you so much again for this post and as always, keep up the great work! :)
Well written 👏
Thanks so much for your compliment Arathy! I'm really glad you enjoyed this piece! Happy to no longer be in this situation, but so glad to be able to share the experience with everyone today.
Great to know you are no longer in this situation! I can relate to what you were feeling
Love how you were able to make this so easy and attainable. Very helpful and inspiring post!
Thanks Lily! It wasn't easy but I definitely had help from a lot of lovely people and things around me. :D Realizing all that love was a big catalyst in getting me out of that dungeon.
The single most important thing is to do something. Anything. Of course you want to form new healthy habits. That takes time. But just doing something, even if it ends up the “wrong” thing.
Someone once told me, “Go work out for 15 hours straight and look in the mirror after. Did your body change? Now go workout for 30 minutes a day for 30 days in a row. Now look at your body.
We are creatures of excess and impulse. When what we want is slow and steady. So do something. Everyday. Workout. Read. Meditate. Pray. Whatever. Cook. Hobby. It matters not.