Dear Dorothy,
I’ve been having a really hard time lately and I’m finding it hard to see the point in living. None of my “friends” want to hear about it and it’s making it hard to believe that people care about me. Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Yours Sincerely,
B.A
Dear B.A,
Well, first of all, I’m sorry to hear about your situation, I’ve been there myself many times. First of all: it may help to know that you’re not alone. It might seem like the rest of the world and the people on the bus and in the street have their acts together, but believe me, they don’t. Almost everybody out there is suffering in their own way, and as morbid as it sounds, that can be a comforting thought.
Take care of your body. It can be really hard to do this when you’re depressed and unmotivated, but it changes everything. Eat food that is not fat and sugar. Drink a lot of water. Don’t make things worse by drinking alcohol. Don’t smoke. Go to a yoga class. If you can’t afford it, find a free one or volunteer for worthy causes. Drop in on a meditation class and force yourself to examine your own negative thought patterns. Pick up a blank journal and write everything that’s bothering you. Don’t write for an audience: just write for yourself, to figure out what the hell is going on in your brain. If you slow down enough, you might learn something. Hope some of that helps.
Yours Truly,
Dorothy