Tools to Build a Strong Recovery Bridge

The following is a list of tools I found and have been trying to use to build a strong recovery bridge back to sanity from show-stopping chronic major depression.  If you are reading this and have been or are now depressed, know that depression is a serious and baffling illness that affects mind, body and spirit.  The good news is that it is treatable so have courage and don't give up. If you persevere, you too can survive depression and come to a place of peace and joy if you make it a daily practice to use the tools that you find work for you. There is no guarantee that you will never be this severely depressed again but you can rely on your tools to pull you through.

Acceptance. Action. Affirmations. Attention. Awareness. Belief. Choices. Commitment. Compassion. Concentration. Counseling. Courage. Effort. Exercise. Faith. Family. Forgiveness. Friendship. Goal Setting. Gratitude Lists. Hope. Humor. Inspirational stories of recovery. Joy. Kindness. Laughter. Listening. Meditation. Meds. Mindfulness. Monitoring thoughts. Motto: One Day At a Time. Music. Nature. Patience. Peace. Pets to love. Perseverance. Physicians who care. Poetry. Positive Thoughts. Prayer. Reading good books. Service to others. Silence. Singing. Support Group. Study. Therapy. Trust. Rest. Visualization. Willpower. Work. Writing/Journaling. Yoga.

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. -- T. S. Eliot