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| The Greatest reminds us all: Keep fighting. Even when your back is flat on the mat. |
By Jack Smith
The death of Muhammad Ali moved me in unexpected ways. He was brash and cocky, but he backed it up. I
love Ali because he stood for something—whether you liked it or not. He didn’t
care.
He did what HE thought was right. He didn’t spend his days
trying to please others or tell them what they wanted to hear. (Paging Jack
Smith!)
We can learn a lot from Ali’s life and boxing career.
You know what I learned?
There’s greatness somewhere inside of me even when I can’t
see it. All I have to do is never quit searching for it—even when I’m face down
on the mat like Joe Frazier after taking a right hook from The Greatest champ
who ever lived.
So I credit Ali and a new blog friend who reached out to me
a while back from far away and told me I have to keep writing. He said men need
help more than I know, and my blog for some reason helps them. Or at least him.
His outreach inspired me to get this post up today. It
reminded me that I write this blog to give people hope and help me cope.
So I’m sharing my list of Top 10 Tips to Battle
Depression. These are things I try to do in
my battle with depression and anxiety. I hope it helps.
I rarely do them all at once. Sometimes my report cards
reads like an old “Leave it to Beaver” episode. Wally brings home all A’s. The
Beave brings home Bs and Cs—at best. I’m more like The Beave than Wally most of
the time.
Here goes, with apologies to Wally for any typos. Posting
without much editing is exposure therapy for me:
1. Exercise. Running was once a passion, and it
always helped me. It’s like a mental flush. Running is like rebooting my crazy
computer, giving me calm and focus. I just started back after a stint on the
Disabled List.
I’m already addicted again. You don’t have to run. Swim. Walk.
Cycle. Do something even when you don’t feel like getting off the
couch—especially when you don’t feel like getting off the couch.
2. Set realistic goals. I try and write down 3
things each night I need to do the next morning. I always start with an easy
one. Like “text Fred and tell him Happy Birthday.” It gives me positive
momentum. Add one or two things that must be done, like pay the water bill. Do
this before bed. It will help you sleep.
3. Get a massage. I don’t know what the research
says, but I know what my mind and body think. A good massage always helps me
feel better physically and mentally. Even emotionally.
4. Take my meds: All of them. I now use “PillPack,”
a fantastic mail-order service for prescriptions. They handle it all. I never
deal with drug stores anymore. Pill Pack fills and refills them all and mails
me little plastic envelopes that are so easy a monkey could do it.
The one I
just ripped open and took said “8 AM Sunday.” It has today’s date and a list of
them. You tear out the envelopes you need for each day. No more bottles. I
highly recommend PillPack.
5. Focus on family: It’s different in divorce,
but I’m happiest if I can really focus on my kids when I’m with them. It’s hard for all of us to turn down the white noise and not worry about
things. It’s hard for me, too. But I try mindfulness tips like focusing on the details of what
they’re saying or watching what they are doing, noticing the little things. It helps.
