What do you feel really good about?
It’s 2016.
Does it mean anything?
I mean it is just one day that follows another while only the digits of the year change. Life is no different the night before when the digits are 2015 than it is the next morning when it’s 2016.
But for me and a lot of other people it’s like a “heads-up”, a prompt to think about the past.
What we feel good about.
What we feel “not-so-good” about. (I’ll tackle this one in a later post.)
We could divide it up in categories: health, relationships, organization, home and family, and, of course, the spiritual.
I feel pretty good about last year. Except for the foot and back problems. They were pretty severe at times.
I feel pretty good about my blogging. I’ve learned a lot this year, but in some ways, I’ve lost my focus.
I love DIY projects and home decorating and I modestly say my projects are creative, well-done, and I like everything I’ve finished this past year. But my pictures of my projects will never compare to other blogs. (I don’t have a great camera, just my little I-phone and I don’t see myself spending that kind of money.)
So for this next year, although I will continue to post my DIY projects because I am always creating something, I want to remember what has been my goal from the beginning.
So with that in mind, I want to remind all of you who suffer depression/anxiety and all related disorders, that there is hope. There is nothing that you and God can’t handle.
I’m not one of those people who believe, however, that it’s just a matter of trusting God and everything will be magically OK.
God almost always, requires our cooperation.
Mental health is complex. And if we broaden the definition a smidgen, we can say we all suffer a degree of mental dysfunction at some time in our lives.
I know of no person that is totally well-adjusted all the time. I know of no person that is completely happy with themselves at all times. And if they claim they are, well, I rest my case.😉😉😉
We are primarily human beings with a nature that is usually in need of some fine-tuning. That’s precisely why we need God’s power to change. Our human nature is always trying to pull us away from our God.
And if you don’t believe in God, I think you would still agree that we all need help on the road to healthy mental functioning.
As for me, I feel good about how I handled my moods this past year and I had many situations this last year that could have caused a major fall but I didn’t even come close.
Whenever I did start to feel a little “down”, I was able to turn it around almost immediately by praying about it and getting on with my life.
I could’ve only prayed about it and continue to brood and feel sorry for myself. I do not believe God would’ve honored my prayer under those circumstances. Are there times, situations are so bad that we can’t find the intestinal fortitude to keep moving?
Of course, but I think it’s clear I’m not talking about the times that God rescues us even without our asking. I’m talking about the ordinary days of just living our lives and putting up with petty annoyances, disruptions, irritations, disgruntlement, etc.
But remember I’ve worked on this for years. I pretty well know my “triggers” and when I’m getting too close to the “pit”. I’ve learned to walk away if needed but most importantly I’ve learned that while I want to help my family and friends in whatever way I can, ultimately it’s not my efforts alone that will work.
I’ve often said, “Don’t get caught up in other people’s drama”. That only means that once we’ve done what we can, we leave the rest up to them. We don’t keep listening to the same old thing without being clear that it is the same ole’ thing.
When you let someone continue to discuss the same situation time and again with no evidence that they are working toward a solution, you are not helping them. They want to talk about it but they don’t want to do anything about it.
And yes, I practice what I preach. I will go a long, long l-o-o-o–o-o-ng way to help anyone as long as they are helping themselves but my rope is very short for those who show no effort.
We don’t allow their immaturity or lack of effort, get in the way of our own joy. Just to be clear, that doesn’t negate our concern. It certainly doesn’t mean we don’t pray for them. (But I would suggest our prayers might have to change if we see no movement to a resolution.)
Let this be the year we learn to take ourselves and our mental health in hand, letting God direct us those areas in our lives where a change could make a difference. Let’s come back next year and have lots of successes in how we’ve controlled our moods, our words, our thoughts.
God bless and I hope you have a good day.
