Your Support System

What comes to mind when you read "Support System?"

We all have someone we can count on when life gets tough. Who is that person for you?
Who counts on you?

It's Family Weekend at Berklee once again and it reminds us, whether or not our family is able to visit, that we have people that love and support us every single day.

Maintaining relationships with people you love and trust will build a solid foundation to help keep you grounded even through life's bleakest moments.

When depression hits, don't retreat into yourself, but rather, get OUTside yourself.

Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. And more often than not, others have suffered through tests even greater than our own.

Here are a few ways to battle feelings of depression.

*Give Back

It may sound like a cliché, but giving to someone who has less than you helps change your state and give you perspective. Make someone else's day that depends on the random kindness of a stranger. 

*Journal

Write it down. Put every thought, every emotion, in an unbound & uncensored full stream of consciousness. Don't worry about punctuation, grammar or fragments. There is no fear of judgement. Just get it out. 

*Write a love letter to yourself

Imagine a time when you were young and carefree. Playing with lizards or running around at a playground. What would you tell that little boy or girl if they thought they weren't loved? If they were sad and feeling lonely? If you could sit down with them, what would you say? Look inside yourself and release your inner child. Comfort them and remind them that they are loved, important, and unique.

*Will this matter 5, 10, 20 years from now?

Usually, the answer to this question is "No." The language we use in our head shapes our beliefs, and too often do we use the wrong words to describe a situation worse than it might really be. Our minds have a proclivity for getting the best of us, but asking yourself this central question will help diffuse negative thoughts and feelings to keep from magnifying the circumstances. If this won't matter in the future, why wait? Take a deep breath, call someone you love, work through it. Make pain useful to you.

*Talk to someone

The people that you love and trust have one thing in common: they WANT you to be okay. Life constantly reminds us of our humanity, but that need not be a limit of power or strength. Connect with people that love you and never hesitate to accept a loving hand.

Finally, remember that the Berklee family is here for you. Stop by LiveWell and get involved in a fun activity like yoga, zumba, or meditation. The Counseling and Advising Center offers academic and personal counseling as well. You are worth it!