Susan’s Sound Advice #460

17 Feb Susan’s Sound Advice #460

“Life’s tough”. That is a common phrase I hear from my clients on a daily basis. Constant pressure to keep up with society’s reality does take its toll, and depression is a common result of disordered social conditions. But, we should realize that, when compared with preceding generations of Americans, we are, on the whole, healthier, safer, better off financially, and more educated. And, even though we sit in comfortable working surroundings compared to our ancestors who lived much more primitively, we feel just as much uncertainty as they did because we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. . coming up short, and we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves and those around us. Most of us feel small, insignificant and replaceable. While many of us have daily contact with people, our society is basically a lonely one. People have become more isolated. Less people leave their homes to socialize because social activities have been replaced by the internet. Finally, no symptom is more central to depression than the loss of hope and fear of the future. Fear of catastrophe—due to terrorists, financial collapse, or ecological disaster—haunts our times. Much of our stress and anxiety comes from our attempts at attaching a “good” or “bad” to the challenges we encounter in life. When things get tough, we tend to stop moving forward, and that reluctance to accept the fluid nature of life is at the center of so much of our paralysis. Let me say this: Life is just the way it’s supposed to be: good, bad, unpredictable, ugly and fantastic, all rolled into one experience that goes by faster than a speeding bullet. Be happy my friends. That dash between the years is your gift! #itsnotthatbad #lifeisshort #behappy #begrateful #itcanalwaysbeworse