I picked up a little book called Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore on a trip recently. It was one of those “take a book and leave a book” libraries. I gratefully lifted this one from the stack. Although I’ve just begun to read it, I’m already enamored. Unlike a lot of things you read about mental illness, Moore doesn’t believe in trying to simply fix or eradicate our so-called problems, depression and anxiety included. Did I mention its cataloged as a Psychology book?

Instead understanding the “messages that lie within the illness,” and “the necessary changes requested by depression and anxiety,” puts you at a place of emotional well-being versus deprivation or lack. In other words, it’s the difference between believing something is wrong with you, and perceiving your problems as a healthy signal that some area of your life needs attention. It’s all about understanding where your problems come from instead of simply trying to get rid of it. And it makes sense too. It’s the reason why a lot of people find that getting rid of their problem through medication, for example, doesn’t always fix it. But getting to the root of it does.

And this can help explain everything from being more creative to dealing with addiction. Instead of doing away with your problems, you’ll find lasting change in being able to discover the deeper issues often buried beneath. The secret to successfully dealing with any difficulty is to confront it. Avoiding and escaping end up adding to your suffering. As you’ll read in our posts below, acceptance and awareness are key pieces to emotional well-being.

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