Think about the pioneers who traveled across the country with their families to start a new life. They found land and claimed it by hammering stakes in the ground; they marked their settlements and built their homes and settled. Do you feel settled in your life?
Depression creates a type of blurriness that keeps you off center, off balance- as if you can’t dig in and advance to where your dulled instincts know you can get to. You and I both know, however, that you are not here just to fill space, breathe air, and be in the background.
Know this: It is likely that nothing would be the same if you did not exist. Everyone you ever talked to, everyone who has ever seen you, every place you have ever been would likely be different if you didn’t exist. We are all connected, and we are all affected by the decisions and even the existence of those around us.
Claiming whatever is going right in your life is a useful mechanism for claiming your life back from depression. Even if it’s only your relationship with your cat that’s going right at the moment, so be it. It counts as positive. Your entire life doesn’t hinge on one negative, overshadowing element. Your life is made up of many different facets. If you focus on the various aspects of your life you increase the chance of experiencing pleasure, even though one aspect of your life may be highly unsettled. Build your hopes on the many things that are important to you and allow yourself to benefit from the different things that contribute to your life. This is what it means to claim your life.
