SPECIAL ISSUE #18
COVID DEPRESSION
The past few years have taken their toll on everyone in one way or another or in all of them, be it economical, physical, or psychological.
I am usually a very optimistic individual but even I have my moments, days, and sometimes even weeks where I find it difficult not to lose hope and drown in a pool of sorrow, hopelessness, and frustration. Today appears to be one of those days.
When you see what is going on around us, knowing what is most likely coming our way, it can really be tough to keep the faith and battle through.
If on top of that, there is a crisis of purpose, the question of what we are still fighting for, it can be a difficult day - a day I call a day of “Weltschmerz” or nowadays a day of Covid depression.
So how do you get out of such days and stupor lows? There are various things you can do and they are as individual as we all are.
If you enjoy reading my Change & Evolve Letter, I would be delighted if you share it with your friends!
Some people throw themselves into work to distract themselves. Another might do sports to get his mind off things. I write it off my chest - at least parts of it. Nature is always a go-to when nothing else works. It helps to ground you and put things in a better perspective. Hot tea and a good piece of cake can lighten the mood. Good music and dancing is helpful as well. But what helps me most is knowing that I am not alone.
So often, when I see the sheep still obediently following, sleepwalking, and accepting everything that is imposed on them, I want to scream and shake them awake.
Of course, I am aware that it only works in small steps and when you have another experience that leads you to see people's ignorance in no uncertain terms, it is difficult, as it is today, to keep faith in the good.
Giving up is not an option and I am absolutely aware that I am only a small voice in the big picture. And as long as I have that voice, I will certainly not stop using it - no matter how I feel. I know there are still too few but at least I am not alone and knowing that is a great comfort.
My newsletter is still small and in its infancy and I want to thank everyone here from the bottom of my heart for reading, sharing, commenting, and giving me feedback. I cracked the 100+ subscribers mark a few days ago and I am thrilled and surprised - who would have thought. I know that my topics are very mixed - they Change & Evolve - and not every topic is interesting for everyone. So I'm all the more pleased for any feedback and interaction. THANK YOU 🙏🏽
What also worries me is that we are becoming more and more transparent (who would have thought that even possible). At a time when people are almost shitting their pants about data protection, every single step is to be tracked through QR codes on our phones - of course for our own safety and for the safety of others (what a load of BS).
The argument of many is that it's not a bad thing if you have nothing to hide. Let's face it though, we ALL have something to hide.
I compare this form of "transparency" with someone who rummages through everything in a stranger's flat and snoops into the most hidden drawers to find out the dirtiest secrets. Would you want that?
How many people would you give your smartphone or computer to without any hesitation? I prefer a little mystery over total transparency anytime…
🎶My Song of the Day
For more good music, go to this Spotify playlist where you can find all the songs from the Change & Evolve Letters!
📚My Poem of the Day
Is by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
Shut Out
The door was shut. I looked between
Its iron bars; and saw it lie,
My garden, mine, beneath the sky,
Pied with all flowers bedewed and green:
From bough to bough the song-birds crossed,
From flower to flower the moths and bees;
With all its nests and stately trees
It had been mine, and it was lost.
A shadowless spirit kept the gate,
Blank and unchanging like the grave.
I peering through said: ‘Let me have
Some buds to cheer my outcast state.’
He answered not. ‘Or give me, then,
But one small twig from shrub or tree;
And bid my home remember me
Until I come to it again.’
The spirit was silent; but he took
Mortar and stone to build a wall;
He left no loophole great or small
Through which my straining eyes might look:
So now I sit here quite alone
Blinded with tears; nor grieve for that,
For nought is left worth looking at
Since my delightful land is gone.
A violet bed is budding near,
Wherein a lark has made her nest:
And good they are, but not the best;
And dear they are, but not so dear.
👀Impressions
Nature is a pick-me-up! I managed to raise my favorite flower from seed to bloom and I am loving it… 🌺
If you would like to connect with me, find out more about the Enneagram and yourself, and how it can transform you and your life, I would be happy to take the time for a speed coaching call that you can reserve right here go to my website or simply hit reply and get in touch with me directly.
I would love to know what you do on your black dog days and how you deal with a bout of depression?
Yours
Tanja 🤗
Poppies! I’ve had a vague feeling that something was going wrong in our civilisation since the late 90s. Looking back over history there were many phases of civilisational shifts and decline. One of the features of every revival was a back-to-basics approach when it came to foundational texts. Famously in the Renaissance, but also during the Carolingian renaissance, the American revolution, the early imperial phase in Rome and plenty of others. Incidentally, the only reason we know so much about the Sumerian civilisation is because thousands of their cuneiform texts were preserved in Babylon 2000 years later.
Rambling on, I have been building a library of classics, in good, sturdy editions and in original language and translation. Whenever I feel a bit down I look at the shelves and think “we can rebuild. It’s all there and Google can do jack to alter or remove it.”
As a side note, moving all over the world with 6k books in tow isn’t something I’d recommend.
A wonderful Sunday to you and yours!