Scion of NLP

Dearest Family and Friends,

Some of you may have been wondering where I’ve been for a while and what’s been going on with me… some of you haven’t heard from me in a long time and I’m sure you may be curious why. Have I been working on a new book? Teaching lots of NLP courses? Gone on vacation? — Nope. I must sadly admit that I have once again been drafted to go to war in the great battle against depression. So, here I am, doing another tour of duty on the front lines of Anger and Angst.

It’s tragic out here and I miss you all very much. Lately it’s been pretty brutal — we see a lot of misfortune, heartbreak, and horror fighting on the front lines. It’s really hard to keep going some days but Sarge keeps pushing us. He can be really tough and mean, but that’s the only way we’ll all make it through.

It’s funny — people back home often think that Depression is a state… however, they’re wrong. Recently, in the last decade, I’ve even heard that psychologists have begun to identify depression as a behavior, even going so far as to say people are ‘Depressing’ rather than depressed … they’re wrong, too.

As a professional NLPer I can tell you that depression (in all its forms) are best likened to perceptual filters. Learning the habit of depressing was about developing the ability to see the world in a very unpleasant way — focusing on the negative in an unhealthy way. (For everybody wondering how you focus on negative things in a healthy way, it’s all about using the negative perceptions to motivate us to do what’s necessary to feel better rather then doing things to make it worse.)

God, I’m tired. Sometimes I don’t think people realize how much hard work it is being a soldier… even in this war. The amount of energy it takes to keep fighting the constant mental onslaught of negativity and bad feelings — sometimes I just wish I could sleep for weeks… but Sarge says that’s dangerous thinking. He’s really gotta bust my ass to get me going some morning, but if he didn’t I know I’d be one of those who’ll lose the battle.

I have to end this letter here before I get too run down. (Sarge says to always be careful to budget your energy wisely in war… save some in the reserves whenever possible) Sarge doesn’t know how much longer the uprising will last but I promise I’ll be home as soon as I can. Being out here in the barren and lonely landscape that is depression makes me realize how much I truly love you all and how much I miss good-times and sunshine — God I can’t wait until my awareness lets those things back in!

Until my next letter please tell everyone I miss them and especially remember to tell my little boy that even though daddy can’t play with him right now, I love him very, very much and think of him every day! I’ll write again soon.

Love always,
Daniel

Related posts:

1. This Soldier’s Final Letter Home
2. Another Letter From My Personal Hell
3. Continuing News from the Battlefront
4. Making my blog more user offensive!
5. Metaphorically, Depression is a …

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