To Find Meaning and Hope

You may or may not know that I do not have a TV. I actually have only watched probably a total of 3 or 4 hours of TV since last August. I have no idea about different TV series and I only learn about news through friends. If it's important, I hear about it. I don't miss TV and I don't really even have time to watch movies. But today, I wanted to share with you some Youtube videos that I have come across recently that have great meaning and worth.

But first, someone from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) contacted me a few days ago about my blog and they gave me some resources that may help those of you who are struggling along with me in this fight against mental illness. Please feel free to check out these resources.

They have a toolkit with various resources, including:

*fast facts about mental illness

*treatment and recovery information

*a "Voices of Recovery" page

Now for the videos...

The first video I came across a few days ago. It is an excerpt from a graduation speech and quite often, graduation speeches are some of the most inspirational speeches given anywhere, in my opinion. In this speech (without giving too much away), the speaker talks about the banality of the every day life- the "day in and day out of adult life." He says that our true education and learning lies in the choices we make and our decision to know that this life is not all about us. One of the most poignant parts of this video is when he says that maybe everyone around us is going through really difficult things as well. Sometimes it's hard to take our focus off of our own frustrations and things we're dealing with, but that is what gives our life meaning. I often try to treat others as if they're going through the worst day possible.

The second video I want to share is one that I came across that really speaks about how we view ourselves. When I go through times of depression, I am highly critical of myself and the world. It's the Negative Chelsea. The Not So Happy Chelsea. The Desperate and Alone Chelsea. I believe nobody cares about me. Nobody thinks positively about me. Everybody dislikes me. I'm unlovable.  I'm not worthy to be cared for. Nobody will ever love me just for who I am. Basically, the world is coming to an end. Or at least "my world."

But this video shows that a lot of the times, what we think about ourselves is much more critical than how others view us. What others think of us often is much greater than what we think others think of us. We are all lovable. We are all worthy of being cared for.

The last video I wanted to share is of a lovely elderly couple. The husband takes care of his elderly wife and does everything for her. It spoke to me because it is a beautiful illustration of how we are supposed to love each other in the midst of good times and the bad times. He has such an inspirational love for her that is so true and genuine. Even in the roughest of times, we need to love each other deeply and take care of each other.

I hope you enjoyed these videos as much as I have. I personally wish that more uplifting videos were shown on TV. It's videos like these that remind me of why life is so meaningful and precious- why I live day in and day out even despite all of my struggles.

I want to leave you with a picture I took this morning at the lake. I hope that you find much hope, joy, peace and love today and in the coming days.