Recently, I met with one of my clients that is feeling blue. He’s bummed and can’t seem to snap out of it, he shared. I asked him a few questions and did some listening. He’s got a lot going on and he’s rarely tasted this state of mind. There are tons of mental disorders that require the help of medications. Unipolar depression, however, is one that we Americans tend to medicate beyond belief. Actually, we medicate because we believe.
We believe that a quick fix is a good fix. Actually, a quick fix rarely holds.
Taking pills rarely builds your ability to esteem yourself. When was the last time you said “good job” to yourself after a pill lifted your spirit?
Here’s what I believe about unipolar depression. It’s really, really hard to stay in this state if your butt is in a state of motion. When I asked my client when he last exercised, his response was telling. Weeks, he replied.
I reminded him of the 20 40 60 BUILT TO LEAD discipline. 20 minutes of reflection. 40 minutes of reading for your development. 60 minutes moving your body till it perspires, big time. Not once in awhile, not whenever you feel like it, not when you can fit it in. 6 days a week. No excuses.
He interrupted me midstream to tell me he struggles with the 40. Good. Skip it, I replied. He agreed to two productive actions. One was 60 minutes of exercise starting that night. The other was around more ACTION with his work. Action that moved him out of his office.
Whenever you are feeling down in the dumps and you’ve been there longer than you like, remember to ask yourself if you’ve been moving it enough. Most likely, you’ve not.
Your body is designed to be in motion. When you mess with that design, overtime, you and I will pay a price. All it takes is discipline. Discipline is really hard overtime, however. So, if you really want it to stick, tie your discipline to a really big, physical dream. Your do or die exercise mandates rarely last more than a season or two. Catch a big, physical dream and the discipline, while still needed, will come a bit easier and last a whole lot longer.
Dream and do. AND…
Depressed no more.
What do you believe?
How you feeling?
Tell me more, my friend.
Tell me more…
BUILT TO LEAD 
I believe that these funks take real hard work to get out of. I believe that we can’t do it alone. I believe that we need to lose the ego and admit our “status” to those who love us. I believe that I will make strides forward and still find myself falling back.
I feel this is WAY easier said than done. I feel that the option of doing nothing is not an option at all. I feel exhausted just thinking about it and the real hard work ahead. I feel like getting started but fear of not being able to keep it up paralyses me.
I believe these struggles do not make me crazy. I feel better when I share them.
Thanks David for a great AND. AND, thanks for your transparency and willingness to write…
It really depends on the excercise, and how you feel when you do it.