One Way stock, flickr

Years ago I learned that come January 2nd, it was time to dive into things – start new projects, build new business relationships, expand my network, take big, bold actions. And that’s good advice to follow.

But when you live with depression, it’s not always easy to do. That road ahead may seem smooth at first, but life and circumstances come full force and pretty soon the path gets bumpy, even filled with various sized boulders that threaten to stall the action completely.

What I’ve learned is that my expectations of what “should” get done don’t always line up with what’s done at the end of the day or the week. Sometimes no matter how hard I work, there’s a bit left undone. It can be frustrating.

Kambani Tool, flickr

I come from a family of Type A’s – folks that thrive on and encourage high achievement and high productivity. I jokingly refer to myself as a reformed Type A – and it took me a long time to get to that place! But sometimes I slip into that old mode of operating and the thrill of doing that is like a breath of fresh air. It’s exhilarating and when I’m there, that’s the mode I want to stay in.

But life doesn’t work that way. Sooner or later, the highs come crashing down; the path gets tougher again and productivity eases back (or plummets). And I’m left dealing with “stuff” again.

So what’s the answer? Is it that you / we / I should figure out how to stay “up” all the time? Nope. That’s not it – too impractical and too tough on the body and mind. Perhaps it’s that we should embrace being as productive as we can when we are and adjust our expectations and our perspectives when we’re operating at “normal” mode. THAT might be more empowering; might give us more balance in the long run, don’t you think?

You see, there’s a back and forth, an up and down that we all do in our lives. That’s what allows us to excel, has us be able to reach new heights. We have to be able and willing to go through the valleys in order to reach the stars. Again, it’s about balance.

Without balance, how would you recognize the joys and beauty that life has to offer? How would you be able to step back from the dark depression pit when it looms?

I say in my book You Aren’t Depression’s Victim that life is a tapestry. It’s filled with dark and light, ups and downs. We get to choose how we move forward on this journey. So if your January path appears a bit bumpy, know that by keeping going, by allowing for the boulders and walking yourself around them, you’ll be able to move forward towards a smoother path.

Something nice to look forward to, yes?