I am convinced that at the heart of depression lies the unacknowledged belief that there is no way out. That there is no power for change. Trapped by circumstances, feelings, behaviors that seem impossible to escape.

Repeating over and over again the same habits, unable to extricate oneself from a negative self-perpetuating cycle.

This type of helplessness is a learned response to life. We are not born with it. And the first step out of it is to take on the belief that you have choices. Even if you don’t actually believe that you have choices, you must at least be willing to entertain this idea.

Because free agency, the power to choose, breeds hope. And without hope, there are no dreams, no aspirations, no possibility of creating a new way for oneself.

Repeat after me “Choice is available to me. Choice is available to me. Choice is available to me”.

I choose to take charge of my own life. I choose to take responsibility for my decisions and the consequences of those decisions. I choose to act upon my life with intention and not merely react to the circumstances that I encounter.

I choose to change the mental habits that hold me captive. I choose to believe in a better way for myself.

Hope is the harbinger of endless possibilities.