If you live with depression, chronic pain, anxiety or PTSD, you probably know what it’s like to feel that you’re life isn’t worth living. Somewhere, somehow, your will to live got stunted and you have come to accept the scraps that life has given you.
You do have the power to change your life, no matter how black it may seem at times.
Change can seem like a scary proposition though. If you struggle with these chronic conditions, change has probably meant loss. However, change can also mean addition to your life. You can change your life by adding meaning, slowly, at a pace you can handle.
If you can start to imagine one thing you could do each day that will be a step in the direction you want to head in. When I was in one of my blackest periods, leaving my house was terrifying for me. I was scared of my neighbors, I was scared of clerks, I was even scared of children. I knew that in order to get better I was going to have to go outside, but I couldn’t do it. So, I just put my shoes by the front door. That was my initial step in the right direction. A couple days later, I put on my shoes. I was still in my pajamas, hadn’t showered in a week, but I had my shoes on! I took them off after a while, but I put them on the next day again. This was within the realm of what I could do successfully each day. I created a small reward for every time I took the step to create a habit. My reward was a star on my calendar, and after a month of stars, I got to take a solo drive somewhere pretty.
Eventually, when I could see no one was outside, I started walking in my pajamas. Then I started wearing jeans and a shirt, then I started waving at people who were outside. Each day I did what I could in the direction I wanted to go.
You can use this method to create habits that will get you engaged with life again! just start with the easiest step you can think of, and track yourself and reward yourself each time you do the step. Once it becomes second nature, make it a little bit harder, but still something you can easily do.
Just remember, small steps, track and reward! Change your life for the better!