What does it mean to be brave? Bravery comes in different forms for different people. For those struggling with profound depression, just getting out of bed and making it to the shower can be brave. For those living with the albatross of substance abuse going an hour, a day, a week, a month without one’s drug of choice can be brave.

Sometimes being brave just means doing something one is afraid to do. But what is that fear about? Is it perhaps about the possibility of failure? Is that fear really about the idea that we do not deserve good in our lives, that we deserve to be happy and successful? I think one only fails if one stops trying. Failure is never the end, indeed it can remind us that there may be another way to tackle a situation or problem. Failure offers a second chance at success. Be brave, be a hero and dare to fail and try again. Sometimes being brave means embracing hope, even if there is only a modicum of hope to be found. Hope is that little voice inside you that says, “I’ll try again.” Hope is that little voice inside you that says, “Tomorrow will be better.”

Being brave involves embracing that little voice inside you that compels you to keep moving forward. For those living with depression, after finding the courage and energy to get yourself out of bed and into the shower, maybe the next brave thing to do is getting to work or making a call you have been putting off. For those living with substance use disorder, maybe being brave means going another day without your drug of choice. Maybe it means looking up the telephone number to a treatment center and finally making that call to get help.

Whatever your brave is, you have it inside you to embrace that. When we think of people who are brave, we often think of soldiers or police officers or firefighters— the heroes who put their lives on the line every day to protect us. What if we were to be our own heroes? What if today you make the decision to do one something brave every day? What will your one something brave be today?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So often in our lives we say to ourselves, “Once I’ve done this, then I can do that.” For example, “Once I’ve lost 10 pounds, I’ll be happy.” We so often postpone our joy until we think we deserve it, when the fact of the matter is, we deserve to be happy right now.

What are you predicating your joy on? At what point will you let yourself be happy simply because you deserve to be? You deserve to be happy simply because you are human. Why do we have to earn something to be happy? Why not be happy now?

Every day is full of small victories, especially for those of us living with mental illness or substance use disorder. Getting out of bed is a victory, be happy about it. Making time for exercise to get those endorphins going is a victory, be happy that you did something good for your body and soul. Nourishing your body is a victory, especially if you live with an eating disorder, be happy about it. We should celebrate our little victories every day by engaging in something that makes us happy. Why postpone your joy?

We also tend to “save” certain things for special occasions, but is not life a special occasion? Go ahead and use the good china, wear the fancy shoes or the pretty dress because today is special, because you deserve it. You deserve to be happy right now, not just when you close that deal at work or finish that report.

When we postpone our joy to that time when we think we deserve it, we shortchange ourselves. Do we not deserve better? Do we not deserve to be happy now, in this moment, in this point in time? Damn right, we do.