Before I went back to work I had plenty of time on my hands to be sad, ruminate about regrets of the past, fret about relationships, and be preoccupied with family.
Praise God! I have no time nor energy for any of that negative emotion now that I am working.
I have said for years to people who are depressed (not seriously depressed)—get up and get busy.
People who are working are usually much better off emotionally than those who sit around with little to do. The best medicine for depression is productivity.
Now hear me on this, I AM NOT addressing serious clinical depression. Most of us do not have serious clinical depression. Productivity will not fix serious depression, so let there be no misunderstanding about this.
I can remember a time in my past when I went through a devastating break-up and was so depressed I could barely drag myself out of the bed. The Lord would speak every day telling me to “get busy” doing the next right thing. Function!! As I did this over time, I pulled out of a bad situation. These were the days before Prozac.
Find a fun job, especially if you are retired. There are so many fun things to do. Get out of the house, off the phone, and off of the couch and start living your life. Take classes. Do something new and different.
After a while being retired was driving me crazy! Wandering around the dining room table and kitchen, looking at the stupid cell phone a hundred times a day, and over eating. The best thing I could have done for my physical and emotional health was get out of the house and go back to a job I love.
Since Covid most people have become accustomed to living in isolation. Get up and get out of the house! Find something worthwhile to do and continue to make a contribution to society.
Workers of all kind are desperately needed. Somebody needs YOU!
I could only pray, read, paint, look at the cell phone, cook and eat so much. Then what? I still had 20-30 hours a week with nothing productive to do.
Get a job—something you love!
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND FIND YOUR LIFE.
Expand your horizons. Meet new people.
I lived my life for about sixteen years for my family. At the end of the day, they didn’t really care any way. Grandchildren grow up and leave. Then what are you going to do? Our kids love it when we aren’t emotionally dependent on them.
I hit retirement thinking how marvelous that was going to be not realizing my grandchildren were grown and gone. Grandma days as I had always known them were over.
If you still have a family full of young grandchildren, you have your work cut out for you until they are grown. If yours are out of the nest, then find yourself a new life.
Find yourself a “new self.” Find yourself a new job. Find yourself a new life.
Below is a link to Get a Job by the Silhouettes. It’s a hoot. (1957)
The Silhouettes “Get a Job” – Bing video
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