A Mind Needs To Be Trained
By Rev. Dr. Daryl C. Greene

Every time I opened the front door, my new puppy tried to slip out and run away. One day he escaped. I called after him. He turned around, looked at me, and with a toss of his head dashed off. When he returned three days later, I enrolled him in dog obedience school.

Last month I shared a few tips about coping with depression and how to get through the first 30 minutes of the day. But rising above a depressive state of mind often takes more than a hot shower and positive self-talk. If this is the case, you are going to have to work at getting better. Find a good therapist!

Eliminate the word "depression" from your vocabulary. This word is overused and is used to refer to a wide variety of symptoms. Try to define what you really experience. Some situations are more troublesome than others. There are people who have compulsive suicidal thoughts. Others experience that they will break down in tears "for no reason.( Still others talk about feeling totally exhausted and unable to get out of bed.

Five of the most common symptoms that I have heard described include:

• Hearing a constant "negative chatter" in your mind.
• Constantly beating yourself up for not being thinner, prettier, getting more done, or being more successful
• Feeling empty and numb: just going on automatic pilot
• Being unable to make the tiniest decision
• Being unable to make an important decision

Once you have identified what is actually going on in your mind, tell your therapist or at least one trusted person. Negative thinking is often like a big bully. It gains much of its power over you by attacking you "in secret." "Telling on it" can be like punching it in the stomach and knocking the breath out of it. You will feel better and your negative thinking won't pester you so much.

Practice the deaf ear technique. If someone close to you has died, you've been hurt, or you've completed a big project or just had a birthday, ignore your "low" thoughts and feelings. You may hear them, but don't pay attention to them or take them serious. Your spirit will come back on its own when it is ready.

Finally, I like to think of the mind as a pet. Sometimes you have to discipline and train it. Your therapist can help you take your mind to obedience school. If suicidal or compulsive thoughts run away with you, you'll have to teach your mind to stop, come back and heel.

Dr. Greene is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and a resident of Richmond, IN. He is also the author of Benjamin's Dog Joseph, Feeling Better: The Wisdom of the Doc, You Can Feel Better: How to cope with chronic pain and physical disabilities, and co-author of Walking Free: the Nellie Zimmerman Story.

For further information about his books, please visit www.densmorereid.com

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