“It’s actually way more common than you might expect.”

I’d like to preface this post by saying that I am not a mental health professional, and this post is absolutely not meant to replace the advice of one. I’m just someone who’s been through this and would like to help others in a similar position.

Towards the end of last year, I shared my story in a guest post on The Unwritten blog. You can see that post by clicking here.

To sum it up, almost exactly a year ago I finally reached out to my primary care physician about feeling “down” pretty often.

On the surface, everything should have been great. I have a wonderful boyfriend who I love, loving family and friends, a nice apartment, a secure financial situation, and I had a stable job as a nurse. What was there to feel down about?

“It’s crazy, but a few words can absolutely transform your way of thinking.”

I’m a HUGE lover of quotes. I think that they’re a great tool to have at our disposal.

It’s crazy, but a few words can absolutely transform your way of thinking.

Quotes show us that other people experience the same things in life that you do. They show that you’re not alone. And many of them offer advice from someone else who’s been in your situation.

I started jotting down my favorite “quotes to live by” in a notebook about a year ago. I’d be reading a book and suddenly feel struck by a particular line I wanted to keep track of. Likewise, I’d hear a great line in an audio book and instantly think, “I don’t want to lose that!”

I’ve shared this before, but I also used quotes to get me through a tough year at a job I didn’t like. I’d read a quote or two from a book called Brave Enough, right before dashing out the door in the morning. Reading those quotes made me feel motivated. They gave me a sort of focus for the day and made me feel more present.

“There is something out there that you’ll like and make money doing.“

It’s getting late on Sunday night. You keep looking at the clock. 8:00…8:30…9:00…you should probably get ready for bed soon. But the sooner you go to bed, the sooner you have to get up. And that means going to work. At a job you hate. The thought completely depresses you.

Not all of us have the ability to get out of a job we don’t like. We got into it for various well-intentioned reasons, whether helping people, following our major, flexible hours, the paycheck, the benefits, etc. But sometimes the day-to-day surprises us: extreme stress, excess paperwork, restricting rules/regulations, tough bosses, and unkind coworkers (fortunately, I’ve been very lucky in the coworker department). And many of us can’t leave due to finances or contracts. If, for whatever reason, you find yourself struggling to get out of the door every day, here are my tips – from someone who’s been there!