Choosing To Be Happy

By Monica Dutcher

There’s very little warning. A harbinger might be the quick rush of hot blood up the back of the neck and a swirling sensation in the head that spurs crossed eyes and loss of balance. Perspiration thickens and the floor rises up like a cobra. Carpet, asphalt, grass–it happens anywhere. Once something that appears to be solid falls into your viewing field, you white knuckle it until the sensation passes, until the brain stops swinging like a pendulum.

The sensation I speak of is vertigo, specifically the vertigo that plagued me after several attempts to go off Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescribed to me for a situational depression during college. Had I known it would have been so hard to stop taking, I would’ve never filled the prescription, especially since there are so many natural alternatives to dealing with depression and anxiety.

In my case, I believe depression was the broad label applied to what I was experiencing, but not the root cause of my struggle. Sometimes, I think “depression” or even a low mood is a choice, the result of a test to see if you decided to languish or dig deep, build character, and develop skills to help manage low self-esteem, stress, life changes, and fear. The following are what I have found to be the ingredients to a life free from the voices in my head that tell me I can’t:

1. Talk therapy. For starters, this is nothing to be embarrassed of. During an interview with Dr. Cheryl Arutt, a frequent psychological expert on CNN, HLN and FoxNews, I learned that good psychotherapy is an investment in yourself that pays dividends through life.  “Common misconceptions include the notion that therapy is only for “crazy” people, that the therapist’s job is to “fix” you, or that therapy is about talking endlessly about why you are the way you are, without actually changing anything. Understanding why is necessary, but not sufficient, for improving one’s life,” she says. I can tell you from personal experience that therapy is where you literally learn confidence and stress-coping techniques. It’s where you go to get real with yourself and start making a difference in your life and those around you.
2. Exercise. I have always exercised, but I used to cheat myself. Now I go the recommended three to four times a week for 45 minutes to an hour each time. The endorphin high is transcendental. You’ll have energy for hours after the workout is over and new belief in yourself for surviving the good suffering that the body needs. Ah, sweet, sweaty accomplishment!
3. Mindfulness Practice. Mindful awareness is a connection with the present moment, with something as simple as being aware that your lungs are inflating. So often I got wrapped up in the future and, in trying to micromanage my moments, I relinquished my opportunities– and then was cranky about it. To be aware of the positive things blooming in your life right now is to invite clarity, peace, and acceptance into your being.

Really have a heart-to-heart with your doctor before taking medication like Zoloft, which will potentially spin you right off your axis and away from the opportunity you’ve been given to take control of you.

Monica Dutcher lives to write, dream, and feel the energy of life coursing through her body. She is working on a novel that explores the psychology of one visionary’s journey toward escaping corporate America and the grip of social expectations.

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