There are times of depression when our willpower just won’t cooperate, even though our minds and emotions might be in the right place. What is the secret for finding the willpower to live consciously? I have read several articles about how to use willpower most effectively once you have it. However, what do you do when you don’t have it and are just in a muddle? After all, it takes some willpower to seek willpower. It takes some willpower to do anything. Do we have to just be at the mercy of our will all the time? Obviously, there are not any easy answers to these questions, if there are any answers at all. However, here are some thoughts from personal experience:

1. Find whatever small amount of willpower you do have and use it. Willpower is like any muscle in your body. The more you exercise and stretch it, the stronger and more flexible it will become. Maybe all you can find the willpower to do is to take a deep breath. Do that. Maybe you can put on a momentary smile. Do that. After each small thing you do, check in with yourself to see what you can do next. Don’t put a guilt trip on your willpower to do more than it is able, and then loathe yourself when it does not conform. This will only increase your despondency.
2. Once you have coaxed your willpower to start doing small things that don’t tax its strength, create a new opportunity (NEW OP). In a previous post, I talked about how to create a NEW OP, which stands for nap, exercise, water, organize, and pray, all in 1-2 minute intervals. Of course, this step doesn’t have to be done; just monitor your willpower and see what it needs.
3. Post something helpful or inspiring to hopefully prevent the same depression from happening again in the near future. This could be a quote, a short blog post, a Scripture verse, or anything else that works and could be done in a picture frame or on the desktop of your computer. Sometimes for me, reading one of my previous blog posts can be the most relevant option.
4. Continue living in the present. Depression usually overtakes me when I allow myself to live in the past or the future. Both of these areas of time are useful for living fully in the present. However, there is a fine line between evaluating the past and living in the past. There is also a fine line between planning for the future and living in the future. If I can center my awareness on just being in the moment in which I find myself, I have the best chance of warding off depression, especially if I am living in appointed times by faith.

Lately, I have been battling a lot of depression, most of which is coming from existential questions. I believe being mindful of these strategies will allow me to both find answers as well as live consciously now. I agree with Socrates that, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” However, me must all find a way to examine our life while living in reality and avoid paralysis by analysis.