depression

I Feel Defeated… But I’m Not

Lynette M Burrows

It’s been a rough year. A rough month. A rough past couple of days. I missed my writing goals this month. Missed my blogging deadline today. I feel defeated.  I’m looking back at what I’ve accomplished (a lot!) and what I haven’t accomplished (more than a lot). And I’m feeling the press of time. The days aren’t long enough; the months are too short, and the years are flying past. The weight on my shoulders is crushing. Tears run down my face. I will not achieve my dreams. Fate is against me. Defeat looms. And yet… I Don’t Want to Give Up Yes, I have challenges in my life. But don’t we all? I’ve not accomplished all that I’ve intended to by this time. It’s disheartening. And if I focus on what I have not done, what I’ve yet to do—it’s overwhelming. But I am a persistent optimist. When someone tells me you can’t do that, a little beast inside stirs. You can’t tell me what I can’t do, it screams. And yes, when I’m down, it screams that at me.  So I wipe my tears away. I refocus. Yes. I have a lot I want to accomplish. Yes. My […]

The Most Special Month

Lynette M Burrows

Welcome to December, the last month of the calendar year. As I thought about the posts for this month, my thoughts turned to December as the end of the year. But it’s not just an end. According to some, this is the most special month of the year. The Most Special Month of Holidays It’s a month of many holidays. See my posts from last year that gave you a little information about each holiday.  Celebrating and Remembering: 5 December Holidays 5 December Celebrations 10 Celebrations during the third week of December 17 Celebrations during the final week of December I’ve established that Christmas is my favorite holiday in these posts.  A Christmas Crybaby Christmas Carols for You Quotes in the Spirit of Christmas The Most Special Month of Birthdays December is THE birthday month. Why?  For Christians (those who keep the spirit of Christianity), it’s the month we celebrate Christ’s birthday. That makes it an important birthday.  The second reason it’s THE birthday month? It’s my son’s birthday. His birth was the very best give I ever got. December also includes one of my best friends’ birthday. And it includes a beloved aunt’s birthday (though she passed away many […]

Don’t Underestimate the Pain

Lynette M Burrows

Sadly suicide is in the public discourse right now. The suicides of public personalities Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain have shocked many. Don’t underestimate the pain. They probably didn’t want to die. What they probably wanted was to escape the pain they felt inside. Sadder still is that they aren’t the only ones who thought about or committed suicide recently. If one has never suffered from depression or suicidal thoughts, it can be an incomprehensible foreign concept. It’s easy to underestimate the pain. Depression so great that your life is not worth living is worse than a dark cloud, it’s a thick, suffocating blanket of anguish with no end in sight. WHAT MAY BE HURTFUL The phrase ‘it’s lying to you’ is going around right now as a way to reassure someone who’s depressed. It’s too simple. Depression is insidious. It’s full of shaming, denigrating, harmful self-talk that is often cloaked in the truth. A chronic illness can be so painful you’d do anything to stop the pain. An addiction can be so overwhelming that it destroys the choices, the life he or she wanted to live. Don’t underestimate the pain that person feels inside. Telling a depressed person that depression […]