Get out of your head

Bill Lambert

Most of us would be happier if we didn’t spend so much time living inside our heads.

We spoil our days lamenting over past failures, or worrying about problems in the future.

Life is about here and now. The good Lord told us to live in the present and let tomorrow take care of itself. And the past? If you can’t do anything to fix it, forget it.

Those pestering regrets, disappointments and resentments that live with you – just put them out of your head, and shut them off whenever they surface. They’ll fade away.

We are intelligent, spiritual animals- but we are still animals. Created to live in a real world of natural experiences.

Depression: trapped in your head
The Scream, Edvard Munch

At an earlier time in life I suffered in a trough of depression. My problems were with me every moment, crushing my spirit. Anti-depressants were a sham. They only made me feel good until the effect wore off. Then I felt worse with the renewed realisation that the present was misery. I tossed them down the loo.

I found the way to escape was to get out of my head, feel the ground under my feet, smell the roses, enjoy the warmth of the sun and rejoice in the variety and colours of nature and the people around me.

Our big problem today is the young people you see today wandering around in their world of make believe, listening to their earphones, texting their friends, playing games on their cellphones – oblivious to their natural environment. It’s a selfish way of living, only conscious of the stimulation of artificial experiences. Even natural appetites like food and sex are sublimated to watching pornography or Master Chef.

So many rely on drugs to feel good. A relative of mine confessed recently that she realised she could no longer enjoy social occasions unless she was stoned.

Smell the Roses

There are so many things to make you happy in the world. If you feel bad, sit down and list the positive and negative things in your life. The good things will far outnumber the bad ones. My father told me: “Count your blessings.” That’s a good thing to do in bed at night if you can’t nod off.

Alcoholics Anonymous tells its people that the best way to escape their problem is to get outside themselves by looking for opportunities to help others. And that really works.