Things to Think About

Priorities

What are they? How do you spend your time and money? There are a lot of answers to this question, however, what are the best answers?

Interests

On a day to day basis, Do you try to improve your surroundings; your living conditions? Do you try to make the world a better place in which to live? How are you thought of in the neighborhood?

Accomplishments

Evaluate where you are headed. Where will you be and what will you be doing five years from now, ten years from now. Do you try to get ahead of the game, by trying to make each day better than the one before.

Considerations

Pride, Character, Self Respect-Do you think you strive to have all of these?

Maturity

Personal Growth. In the Bible, Paul wrote: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, But when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1 CORINTHIANS 13, verse 11

Employment

Let's not forget about income. Not enough? Have you considered quitting work for a while and going on welfare and, or public assistance. When it comes time to start paying rent, have you thought of low income housing? Also, trying to get out from under your present landlord's clutches and control? OR, you could set out to improve your employment status. Maybe you could climb up the ladder in your present job, Or you could look for a better job, get training, go back to school. There is a lot to consider.

Consistency

For practical reasons, Do you thrive to stick to a planned schedule? What time do you get up for work? When are meal served and when is bedtime? On a regular basis, do you allow time for cleaning your home? At any given time, Is everything presentable enough for a social worker to surprise you?

Diet

Are you interested in eating the right kind of foods?

Helping Others

What do you do in this department? It is so easy to get in a "rut" contributing all of your time and effort to yourself, becoming self-centered AND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE. Turn this around, think more of others. What if, you were asked tomorrow, to take care of your aging father. Could you do it? Would he be safe in your care? Go a step further. Could you take care of me? There may come a time when you may be asked to give of yourself. Think very strongly about this. WHAT DO YOU DO TO HELP OTHERS?

Duty

What is your duty to yourself and others? (others could mean the people that love you and depend on you) AS A MOTHER, consider your child, what is your duty toward him? We can't always choose to do just the things that feel good. There are things that need to be done; then there is a good feeling over the accomplishment when it is done right.

Goals

It doesn't hurt to have goals and to work hard toward those goals. The world doesn't come to an end if we sometimes fall short. On a brand new morning, the sun will rise again, we pick up the pieces and start over, learning by our mistakes. (It's called, surviving.) However, no one promised us a bed of roses; at the same time we have to be accountable for our actions. Along this same line of thought, we don't have to be perfect to just do our best. No one is fortunate enough to be totally happy and content all of the time. We all have so-called, BAD days, so instead of blaming some one for our unhappiness, that is when we take advantage of our assets; we just count our---

Blessings

Besides having a beautiful, intelligent son, you are a young, healthy woman with many talents, and pretty too. You are creative and presentable and have so much going for you. You just have to wake up and realize it. (By the way, did you know, that men get their intelligence from their mother?)

Counseling

Have you considered a different kind of counseling? Forget the counselors you are seeing at the present time. Instead, Choose a MENTOR; some one not related, who has a genuine interest in helping to improve your daily life and schedule, working closely to guide you through every phase of your working day.

Reality

THIS, we have to face, in order to have harmony in our lives. (There is no need kidding ourselves) DRUGS only delay the bad feelings. They have a way of getting you hooked so that you put-off making decisions. Or you make the wrong decisions, In the long run, they do more harm than good, such as alter your personality---And in your case, as a young mother, with a young son, you are better off, staying alert and being aware of what's important.

Confession

During my seventy years of struggling through life, there were a few times when doctors prescribed tranquilizers and sleeping pills. But I never, ever took a full prescription before I realized, drugs weren't the answer. Sometimes drugs can be a "cop-out" for both the patient and the doctor. They tend to shade the real problems that overwhelm our lives and cause us to delay getting to the bottom of those problems.

Friends & Relationships

Take more time and consider all aspects of the persons involved. THINK BEFORE YOU LEAP. A little philosophy here, that has always held true for me: "You are known by the company you keep." Real friends are hard to come by. With everyone you meet, do you paint this deep, dark picture of yourself, telling every secret of your personal life? OR, do you give them a secure feeling that you are in complete control of your life and that you are capable of being a good friend and an interesting one at the same time.

What is Expected of Us?

God put us here on earth and with his help and his love to guide us, we can get through all the turmoil this world has to offer. But, first we have to believe in him and ask for his help, strength and guidance AND HE WILL SEE US THROUGH ALL THE WAY.

* * *

The above information was sent to me during the Summer of 1996 by someone in my family... as just some things to consider... but this document has ended up feeling more hurtful than helpful to me.

What do you think: hurtful or helpful during depression?