Dear Isra:

“I won’t get mad at myself if I start to feel down”- most important. There are parents who turn aggressive toward their child just because the child looks sad! Better not do it to oneself, turn against oneself in anger for feeling sad, or feeling anything at all that is unpleasant or distressing. Instead, be gentle with oneself.

“I have to work to correct my thoughts when they’re being illogical”- very important, the principle behind Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, correcting illogical or distorted thoughts, replacing them with logical, correct thoughts, thoughts true to reality.

“I’m the one in control of my life- I’m not a passenger”- reminds me of the concept my former therapist taught me, Internal Locus of Control: I make things happen (I act!) instead of External Locus of Control, that is, other people/circumstances make things happen in my life (I react).

“I’m stronger now than I ever was before, and I’ll keep building that strength day after day”- gently, not expecting perfection, not in the process of getting stronger and not in the hoped for strength itself. An element of weakness is always there for us human animals.

“I think I’ve caught my S.A.D. symptoms early enough”- I don’t think we catch SAD, or depression. The thoughts, the beliefs behind them, the worries are there yearlong, only they get activated more often in this or that season, this or that life circumstance. You may find yourself comforted by winter sometime in the future and be surprised.

anita

Dear Isra:

I understand the correction you made. You noticed the symptoms early, not that you caught the symptoms as one would catch a cold, for example. I hope the sun lamp helps. I suppose if it is possible for you to, let’s say, have a picture of the sun shining in a blue sky on the walls or ceiling of your room/ home, that could help as well, as the sun lamp can shine at the picture of the sun which will reflect the light back to you.

anita