What This Childhood Memory Taught Me About COVID-19

When I was growing up, there were hundreds of acres of woods behind my father’s house. Dad and I spent a whole lot of time in those woods. We were always back there mushroom hunting, hiking, setting up trail cameras, riding four wheelers or just plain goofing off. However, during my sophomore year in high school, a massive fire tore through those woods. We had a particularly dry autumn that year, so when someone flicked a cigarette out their car window, that was all it took to set the whole thing ablaze.

I remember feeling crestfallen. My father told me not to worry, though. He said that if I waited until the next spring those woods would be even better than ever. He explained that the trees would bounce back to life fresher and greener. All the underbrush would be gone. There would be significantly less mosquitos and ticks. And you know what? My dad was absolutely right. The following spring we were right back in those woods having a marvelous time.

That story reminds me a lot of what we’re facing today with the coronavirus. To be sure, COVID-19 is like a fire that’s tearing through the entire world. But just like those trees behind my dad’s house that bounced back stronger than ever, I am hopeful that we as human beings will emerge from this and go back into the world as healthier, happier, more conscientious citizens of the world. We can do that if choose to see this trying time as an opportunity instead of a crisis, if we choose to see that we are safe at home instead of stuck at home. It’s all about perspective.

Perspective is even more important if you are struggling with depression. For some, this time at home is an opportunity to focus on yourself and heal. You can cover a whole lot of ground towards the end goal of managing depression and figuring out what works for you. If the perspective of opportunity is the one you wish to take, then please read on.

People always ask me how I beat clinical depression and my answer is always the same — one day at a time. Defeating depression is not a one and done game. Stopping depression in its tracks and preventing it from coming back can be a result of your lifestyle. It’s the result of consistent, continual work. Said otherwise, it is all about your daily pattern. And if you are safe at home in quarantine, you can use this time to put a new pattern in place that will put depression in your rearview mirror where it belongs.

For me, this work consisted of nine ingredients: controlling my thoughts, training my emotions, keeping substances out of my body that affect my mental processes, therapy, meditation, exercise, proper nutrition, volunteering my time, and being charitable with my assets. You can read all the details, research and science behind each of these nine ingredients in my book, “The Way Through: The End of Depression.”

You may be using one or two or some of these nine ingredients already, and I applaud you for that. You are right where you need to be. If you can, choose to see the opportunity at hand and take advantage of it. If you do, I will see you back in the world someday soon, and we will both be smiling. Stay safe, and stay healthy!

To see more from Jason, visit his site.