The Healthy Management of Reality - Stanford University

If you are feeling down or depressed, then the task is to build in someislands of peace and tranquility, or of rewarding activities into your days. Peoplewho are depressed often talk about their days as being full of oppressive darkness.An image that is sometimes helpful is that of creating islands of light in the middleof the darkness. These areas of light gradually increase in number, until each dayhas some periods of time to look forward to. As progress continues, the periods oflight become the dominant part of the day, and fewer and fewer hours during theday contain the darkness of depression. To accomplish this, we help the patientdevelop a list of activities that he or she finds pleasant (or found pleasant in thepast). Then we encourage the patient to schedule these activities throughout theday. Obviously, to be practical, most of the activities have to be brief enough to beable to do quickly and unobtrusively. If you do not have money, the activities haveto be free or inexpensive. If you are sick or disabled, the activities have to bethings that are possible given any physical limitations imposed by the illness ordisability.The conscious shaping of one’s day is one of the most practical ways ofshaping one’s reality, and one’s life. Time is one of those resources that, onceused, cannot be replaced. Therefore, it is important that it be used mindfully.SpaceWhere we spend our time determines the part of reality that we will allow tohave impact on us. Our reality changes radically depending on whether we enteran environment that will be supportive or draining, an environment that willexpose us to energizing stimuli or oppressive stimuli. Becoming mindful of wherewe choose to be will help determine the shape of our external reality.HMOR.July2005.Muñoz.doc 88