SL 365 | Day 33 | "Self-Love doesn't Seclude"

Today's challenge is depression--either situational or a general feeling of sadness--and isolation, which typically results from overwhelming feelings of sadness. Depression gets in the way of our self-love practice because, while feeling depressed, we tend to focus on only that one feeling. All other feelings get shoved aside, including hope and happiness--two very important feelings that engender authentic loving acts. To put it another way, rather than focusing on our need for self-love, which can be met in a variety of ways, we focus on just the sadness. This means we can't "see a way out" back to loving ourselves. In my experience, I've found that setting up a support person for various specific situations I find myself in during a bout of depression is the strategy that works best against this challenge. Importantly, this strategy requires pre-planning and communicating to the support person what their role is--all done while we are NOT feeling sad! 

Disclaimer! I'm not a medical professional nor am I licensed to give any type of medical advice. The challenge and strategy talked about in this episode are framed from my own perspective and born out of my own experiences. Please, if you are feeling like your depression is not manageable on your own or with that trusted support person, reach out to your therapist or doctor.