Second, I’m so glad we had the opportunity to discuss the statistics and reality of teen depression and suicide. I informed JLD of the CDC statistics and shared what depression really is: another medical disease.
But we also covered some topics that I didn’t immediately realize related to our community. We talked about discipline, focus, and productivity. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that when you’re depressed or know someone who is, these three characteristics are necessary to overcome your struggles.
In the podcast, I defined productivity as “consistently accomplishing tasks that are directly or indirectly necessary to achieving my goals.” Think about it, you have a goal in mind: becoming mentally healthy. What do you need to do to accomplish it? Write out the necessary tasks, find an accountability partner, and get them done. This is how healing happens. One positive action at a time.
With discipline, I said it is “forming and keeping up good habits.” Having a healthy habit such as going for a run every morning, eating right, or thinking positively is essential to healing as quickly as possible.
And finally, I defined focus as “in the short term, concentrating on your #1 task. And in the long term, concentrating on your #1 goal.” As with productivity, keep your eyes fixed on not only your immediate goals but your long term goals, as well, in order to live your life to the fullest.
When JLD asked me for the best advice I’ve ever received, I had a hard time picking one thing. So I went with the most recent helpful advice I could remember which was from my speech prof who said, “Choose your own words, don’t let others choose them for you.” This goes hand-in-hand with focusing and accomplishing the goals you have in life. Of course, I don’t want you to be selfish, but your first duty is to keep your mind, body, and soul healthy. You can’t give what you don’t got.
Those were my biggest takeaways from the interview. Please leave a comment if you were touched by something that brought value to you (or maybe you just want to say hi, that’s okay too).
And in the words of JLD, go out there and ignite!
