Depression is a state of mind and a feeling in the body that we find it hard to bear. Depression damages our life a lot. We feel like everything that we do and everything that exists in the word is useless. We feel powerless most of the time. I know a lot about depression because when I was 25 years old (now I am 36) I was diagnosed with it. As I am the founder of this website Positive Words Research much of the work I do for this blog was motivated by me making efforts to win over depression.

It is not easy at all to get rid of depression. This is the hard truth. But you can win over it. I did. I learned a lot of techniques to fight and win over depression. I will share with you five words of encouragement for depression. All the things that I am sharing with you are real actions that I implemented in my life.

Words Of Encouragement For Depression

1. You Have Many Reasons To Be Grateful About Yourself

If you are struggling with depression I know this is hard to believe. Just believe me that one of the secrets of winning over depression, that I was blessed enough to find it, is gratitude. Especially gratitude about myself. I started writing small lists of gratitude for myself and I still do this. Practice gratitude from time to time is a practice that I will do all my life. Sometimes I compute the days, weeks, months since I am born and I name this period as “time since I exist on Earth”. Then I say that I am joyfully grateful or sincerely grateful for all these days, weeks and months.

2. You Have The Power To Play

Including playfulness in my life was one of my top goals in getting rid of depression. Again, it is hard to be consistent in making actions that feel like play when you are in a state where everything seems so hard and serious.

I included playfulness into my life in two ways: working on my new philosophy of life and making actions that are playful. In my new philosophy of life I included sentences like: “Sometimes life doesn’t need to be taken so seriously.” or “Dancing is a shortcut to happiness”. As actions, I searched for actions that are easy and doable so that it can help me be consistent. I developed a practice where “almost” every morning and evening I stretch my body. I do this by doing simple exercises that I learned from my sports teacher when I was in school. Nothing special, nothing extravagant. I also have a practice of dancing in my room, alone, with headsets, keeping my phone in my right hand, looking at me in the mirror. It makes me see myself as being alive.

3. You Are Loved

Working on me feeling loved was a challenge. And it still is. I don’t know why but we humans feel that we are not so loved, we don’t matter so much, we are not so important. Is that “so” that created so many depressive thoughts in my mind. And I realized that we are. We are so loved, we matter so much, we are so important.

One of the tools I use to feel loved is actually a visualization that I am doing. I am sharing this with you in the hope that you feel the love and not drama. I noticed that some people feel drama when I tell them this visualization. Here it goes.

Visualizing Of A Simple Meditation To Feel Loved

I see my heart. I see the hearts of all living humans. I notice that my heart beats at the same time as 7.7 billion other people. We are together now on a planet that is spinning in a huge universe. For 36 years this planet is holding me alive, even if I am such a sensitive being. I actually am one of the 7.7 billion people that are alive now. I am kept safe even if the Earth is pressured every second by physical forces in the universe above my power (life gravitational force etc.). I am actually in a safe place. This safe place was created for me and others because we are loved. I am loved. We are all loved.

4. You Are Enough

I must admit that I still struggle with this one. It is not that I do not feel enough, it is that I do not do enough. And actually, it is the belief that I did not do enough and I can not turn back time to do more, therefore, all is hopeless and without exit. But, I developed a trick to convince myself that I indeed was and did enough.

I Say To Myself A Little I am Enough Story

You are enough. You know why? Because you did good things that you will never know about. You do small things that matter. How come? What did I do? Well, at least once in your life you helped someone that dropped something by picking it up. Maybe that person had a bad day and you showed him that kindness still exists in the word. He went home and was a little kinder with his kids. His kids felt a little more loved. Or were not beaten that day. Kidding, just to make you smile. You are enough. You did enough, so enough that you will never know.

5. You Are Capable Of Being Kind To Yourself

I could name better this paragraph as You Are Allowed To Be Kind To Yourself. I don’t know if you resonate with me but when I suffered from depression I felt like I am not allowed to be kind with myself. I needed the approval of someone or something for me to be kind to myself. Especially kind in my thoughts. I had so many thoughts angry, hateful, damaging to myself. Hard, heavy, negative, so serious thoughts. And I remember I did not think in terms of You can choose kind thoughts just because they feel better. You are allowed to think thoughts that feel light and good.

During my depression period I thought I need, it is mandatory, it is an obligation, to think “any” thought, even if it is such a disempowering thought. “Disempowering” is politely said. Because I had heavy thoughts like “so many people are trapped in the small boxes that they call apartments in things that they call buildings and they say they are happy? How can you be happy when you live like a sheep in a box. We are all trapped without any way out except death”.

I learned that we are blessed to live a human life. And anyway it is only for 80,100,120 years, not that much, why “escape” sooner. Lol.

Of course, I can joke now with myself with the hardest and most negative thoughts of all, because I am in another state of mind, a happier one. But the transition took a lot of work. I did psychotherapy for many years, with a good psychotherapist in my country that helped me a lot and the fact that I did the best list of positive words in the world made a huge difference. I remember that while I was doing this list of positive words I thought: I am doing this list as a trace to happiness, to find my way back to the light if I ever get lost in the dark again.

I realized at one point, a few years ago, that we people are not scared of the dark. What we are scared of is not knowing a simple effective tool to turn on the light. Think about it. Every human needs dark to sleep. We love dark when we sleep. We are not afraid of being in a dark place. But we could feel afraid in the dark if we do not know where the electricity switch for the light is, or if we know that there is no electricity in the house. But even then we are still ok with the dark because we know that the sunlight will come. The consistency of the morning light eliminates the fear of the dark and you sleep peacefully.

The secret is for you to know what works for you. Is different for every person. What “sunlight” can you implement in your life to always have your morning light come over you? What is your switch to turn on the light? I would actually go for more switches in your house (your mind, body, soul). When you have light switches in your life you will not be afraid of depression anymore (the dark) because you will always find your way back from it. And at that moment, depression will lose the power it has over you.

Writing articles is a cumbersome task for many college and university students. And even though you cannot forego it, you need to teach yourself how to write a paper fast as it will be helpful in your academic life. Essay writing is not an easy task even for someone who does it for a living. Moreover, writing an essay is not like reading a chapter of a book or solving math problems. And as frustrating as these can be, they are finite than the colossal task of article writing. Essay writing necessitates that you brainstorm, conduct ample research, create an outline, write a draft, edit, and add some citations. To make this process easier smart students sometimes use pre written essays for cheap.

Nonetheless, as you move through college or university, you will develop a system for cranking out your essay writing tasks in record time. Additionally, you will get to spend more time on things that you enjoy. Contrariwise, writing an essay in an hour does not take little time. You have to practice on a continuous basis for you to perfect the art. And according to EssayZoo , below are some tips on how to write an essay quickly you can use.

Turn off your phone and social networks

The last thing you need when you have a last minute essay assignment is distractions coming from your phone or social networks. They have a tendency or habit of consuming much of your time without you even realizing. And procrastination is the last thought that should cross your mind as it is not applicable at this stage. Hence, it is time you ban yourself from the social networks, your phone, or anything else which may distract you. Sit in a quiet place and work on your assignment. Also, you can get browser apps such as Leechblock which help keep you off social networks.

Have your books ready

Another fast essay writing tip is having our books ready. You need to prepare your workspace by getting the books you will use to work on your assignment ready. Open the relevant pages where the relevant information is or put post-it notes in them. This will help you not to waste your time hunting through books trying to find the information you need.

Incorporate your notes into the document in a direct manner

The fastest way to write an essay is by writing your notes in the document in a direct manner. In the document you create for your essay, you can start by typing your essay notes into it in a direct manner. They can be in one-sentence summaries or bullet points of what you want to write in each paragraph. Also, for each point, incorporate a line or two for the evidence to support it. After, organize them in a sensible structure.

Leave the introduction and conclusion for last

The introduction and conclusion of an essay are often the most difficult bits to write. Hence, when writing your paper, you should leave them for last. After writing the body part of your paper, writing the introduction and conclusion will be smooth and easy. This is because you will be familiar with the argument after spending plenty of time with it.

Proofread as you go along

Proofreading is very significant when it comes to quick essay writing. Before submitting your article, you need to check for typos, grammar, and spelling as you write in each sentence and paragraph. Also, after you finish writing your paper, it is crucial that you proofread it once more to not only ensure that it is error-free but also has a smooth flow. This ought to take less time since you proofread it before.

Do not over-quote

A common tactic many students embrace when they are having a hard time writing an essay is using many quotes or long passages from other people’s work to bolster the word count. Also, they do this to reduce the amount of writing they have to do themselves. Such an approach is not efficient when it comes to fast essay writing. Thus, you need to avoid it at all costs. Instead, incorporate short quotes in your article while accompanying commentary on them. Just look through best essays for sale online to see how it should be. This will prove that you can write an essay in one day or less time.

Embrace conciseness

Too many long sentences in your paper can make it lose purpose and meaning. Hence, you need to embrace conciseness when writing your essay. Being succinct or brief and to the point is not wrong when writing your article as long as it conveys what you want your paper to communicate in an adequate manner. Embracing conciseness will help you not only to express yourself in a clear manner but also save time.

Take a break if necessary

It seems counterintuitive when you have to write an essay within a short period. And taking a short break is effective as it helps you relax and focus on producing a high-quality paper. If you have to write an essay in two or three hours, take a short break after each hour if necessary. In case, if deadlines are coming and you need help with your writing, you can always rely on the assistance of specialists behind essay writing services. Do not hesitate to visit the homepage of essaywritingservice.ca to get more information on how they can assist you. But, if you feel comfortable working on the entire article without any breaks, continue working on it and make good use of your productivity spate for as long as it lasts.

Use Google for quick research

“Google is not a substitute to read what your professor or instructor asks you to read. However, it is beneficial when it comes to getting grips or quick definitions of words or phrases you are struggling with at the last minute," says Travis Meade, an academic expert at EssayWritingService. Contrariwise, you should not rely on it by any means. Nonetheless, if you are working on your essay task and you are unable to comprehend something, a quick Google search ought to enable you to procure the level of comprehension you need.

Hydrate and feed yourself

Ensure you hydrate and feed yourself while working on your essay assignments. This is because they help you to stay alert. Additionally, they help you maintain your energy levels as well as making the essay writing process bearable.

In conclusion, writing an essay is an infuriating task for many college and university students. The majority wish they could write their papers fast and get over the essay writing process. Some of them often complain, “It takes me forever to write an essay. How can I equip myself with fast essay writing tips?" Well, if you are one of these students, you should not worry anymore about your essay writing assignments and how fast you can complete them. Above are some helpful tips on how to write an essay fast which come in handy whenever you have an essay task albeit the deadline.

We all want to become more positive people. Being more positive equals feeling happier, and who doesn’t want to be a happier person? Happiness is one thing you cannot buy with money but can be acquired easily by shifting your mindset and focus, thereby literally changing your life.

Naturally, people tend to focus on what they are lacking and what they wished they would have in their life. By shifting your focus on what you actually do have, you will come to realize that you are one of the luckiest people in the world.

Sounds amazing, right? Well, it is really not that difficult to change your outlook and take notice of all the good that you have in your life. At first, it may take some extra effort, but once you make it a routine it will become second nature to you.

So how do you accomplish this?

Create a Gratitude Journal

Start by creating a gratitude journal, recording 5 things that you are grateful for each day. Don’t duplicate things, think of 5 new things that you feel thankful for each and every day. It may sound like a lot, but once you start noticing how much good you have your list will grow quickly. These things don’t need to be major, they can be small things that you are grateful that you have in our life. For example: 1) I have a house to live in (not everyone can say that) 2) I had a good night sleep 3) I have clean scrubs to wear to work4) my boiler is working so I was able to take a hot shower 5) I have an appetite to eat my breakfast.

That was easy, 5 things that we often take for granted. Not everyone can say that they have these things; and if we did not have one of them we would feel like we are lacking, so appreciate that you have them!

Once you train your mind to look for the good in every situation, you will automatically be more tuned in to see the positive. When you pull in to a full parking lot and find a parking spot easily, you will feel grateful. When you get to your destination safely, you will feel grateful. You will learn not to take anything for granted, and feel extremely fortunate and lucky for all the good that you have. And you will feel happy. Happy that you have such a rich life full of goodness and blessings.

And when you feel happy, you will become a more positive and well liked person, a person that people will enjoy spending time with and being in your company. We all know that no one wants to be around a negative person.

So, start your gratitude journal today, and start recognizing all the good that you have in your life, and you will start living a more positive, happier life!

Bio: Carol Kalat lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children. She works as the marketing director for Medical Scrubs Collection, an online nursing uniform store. She enjoys staying on top of the latest nursing news and loves blogging about nurses and healthy lifestyle related topics.

One of the most beautiful testimonies to the power of literature is Peter Weir’s film Dead Poets Society (1989), starred in by much-missed actor, Robin Williams. The film is centered on a teacher that changes a group of student’s lives, through his words. In one of the most memorable scenes, he tells them, “We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for." Words have sparked change, inspired action, and helped human beings understand that they are not alone – even in their darkest hour. How have words changed lives in the film? Read below to discover a few examples.

Words and the Power of Acceptance

In one powerful scene in the recent film Call Me By Your Name (2019, Luca Guadagnino), a broken-hearted teen, who has just lost the love of his life, is consoled by his father. The father utters words that are so unexpected and beautiful, they form part of what critics have deemed the defining scene of this Oscar-nominated film. He says, “In my place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, or pray that their sons land on their feet soon enough. But I am not such a parent. In your place, if there is a pain, nurse it, and if there is a flame, don’t snuff it out, don’t be brutal with it." Love, he says, is given only once and powerful emotions – including sorrow – should not be snuffed out, but rather, embraced. The father’s words are life-changing for the son, who resolves to hold on to rather than repress love. This scene is seen by many as an example of unconditional parenting at its finest.

Words as Imagined Perfection

Words sometimes fill a void, live life on behalf of its writer, represent a dream that will never come true. Such is the case in David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013) – the story of Bob, a young man who takes the fall for his girlfriend when a robbery goes wrong and receives a life sentence. Bob writes his girlfriend achingly beautiful words which in effect are merely rhetorical since he will never be able to live the life he wishes to by her side. The words are given deeper effect by having the actor who plays Bob – Casey Affleck – read emotions such as these. “I’ll write to you every day and someday you’ll see a letter from me, and you will look up, and it will be me who’s handing it to you. And then we can forget about words, and I’ll touch your face, and I’ll kiss you." His words may be a fantasy, but they enable his girlfriend to understand the extent to which she was loved.

Words that Merit the Greatest Sacrifice

These days, people feel considerably more independent when it comes to sharing their message than in the past. In the age of ubiquitous connectivity, everyone’s a mailman and as noted by OnlineStamp.net, people can efficiently print their own stamps at home, bypassing postal workers completely. Only Angels Have Wings (1939) shows us how different things were in the previous millennium. Cary Grant plays a brave airmail pilot who flies over the Andes mountains, risking his life so that the soldiers and their families can enjoy the soothing words of their loved ones. When war strikes, words can be the panacea, the inspiration, and the promise of something better to come.

Words that Woo

Words are capable of making someone fall in love with their writer, as the legendary tale of Cyrano de Bergerac and inspired characters have shown many times in the film. One film that builds on this narrative is Il Postino: The Postman (1995), directed by Michael Radford and Massimo Troisi. Il Postino is itself a remake of the 1983 film Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skarmeta. It is set in the year 1950. Famed Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, is exiled to a tiny Italian island. There, he meets a young fisherman and part-time postman, Mario, who despite being poorly educated, becomes heavily influenced by Neruda’s poetry and philosophy on life. Neruda helps Mario woo the woman of his dreams, reminding him of the immense seductive power that beautiful words can have.

The beauty of words finds its apotheosis in many films that are treasured by aficionados the world over. From those that comfort or inspire to those that express an aching or yearning that will never be soothed, words are capable of eliciting powerful emotions that audiences can sometimes repress in their day-to-day lives. For many, these words are written down or kept in their mind, to be recalled when they feel that only they can really express what one is feeling.

The image of a dark shadow following me like Dementors was chasing Harry Potter is still live in my mind. It is a nightmare I started having when I was about 13 and it keeps repeating every now and then. I always manage to run away from that shadow, but it never stops following me. It is a recurrent dream that is chasing me for over 15 years now.

But how do these bad dreams influence creativity? Every human on Earth is having nightmares, but do they have a special effect on writers or on their creativity level? Do these nightmares have a hidden meaning?

Let’s find out more about nightmares and if they make writers more creative.

What Are Nightmares?

Nightmares are those bad dreams which make you wake up during the night. And while the sensation of fear has invalidated your body, you wake up all sweat and disturbed by what you just saw in your dreams.

We experience more nightmares when we are children. Researchers from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine say that from 10 to 50 percent of children aged 5 to 12 years, experience disturbing nightmares that make them wake up their parents.

This means that the severity of their nightmares is high enough to disturb their parents.

As the time passes by, the frequency of the nightmares decreases. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that only two to eight percent of adults experience nightmares.

But, What Triggers Nightmares?

Scientists say that the nightmares experienced during adulthood have the same triggers as the ones from childhood. Such triggers could be:

• Listening to scary stories
• The death of a beloved one
• Watching tv shows or horror movies
• Having a stressful day at school or work

Whether these triggers are common for childhood and adulthood, there are also some that are specific to adulthood.

As we grow up, we gain more and more control over our behavior and cognitive functions. We have the power to control and keep them under control.

But when something bad happens, our ability to manage our behavior and thinking weakens.

Triggers such

• Bad eating habits – like having a midnight snack
• Conflicts unresolved that we never stop thinking about
• Unknown allergies
• Depression
• Trauma
• Insomnia

can cause you to experience that night troubles.

What do we know about nightmares?

1. We know that the nightmares are occurring in the REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep). This phase is unique in our sleep and makes it easy for nightmares to appear because of its characteristics. Our muscles relax, and our eyes move faster, creating the conditions to dream vividly.
2. Although every one of us has his own opinions, issues and perspective, some themes are common to most adults. Running from someone who is chasing you and not having the power to escape or falling from a very high building are common themes among adults.
3. If you are on medication, you may experience nightmares, depending on the drugs you are taking.

But, how can a writer be inspired by his or her nightmares?

We all know that inspiration does not come if you clap your hands. There are a lot of exercises to boost your creativity. Some of them may work, some not. I tried some and all I can say is that they are helpful.

A lot of writers ask for advice on how to boost their creativity, and all I can say is to dive deeper into your dreams.

I tried to remember all the details of my dreams, some of them being full of feelings and sensations that would make a great story.

My solution to the problem of keeping track of one’s dreams was to write them down on a dream journal. I noticed that after I wake up, I clearly see all the dream details.

And this is the best moment to write down what you have just dreamed.

As the time passes by, more and more details will get lost.

You will boost your creativity and you will have a great start for an awesome story. Your brain is working also during the night, so nightmares are one of the things that he is part of. And why not use your brain at its fullest?

Wait, is this possible? Do I really become more creative?

The answer is, yes. Have you ever wondered where the Frankenstein story came from? Or how was Edgar Allan Poe so inspired to write such horrific, yet awesome stories?

You might think that as a writer you barely have time to sleep because you often enter a writing frenzy state. Stephen King got the idea for his famous masterpiece Misery while flying to London and experiencing a nightmare.

You can also draw what you have just dreamed and get inspired like Robert L. Stevenson did for his The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde novel.

There are so many writers who leveled up their creativity just by paying enough attention to what they experienced during the night. So yes, it is possible to become more creative if you listen to your brain during the night.

In fact, there are lots of studies which investigated the relationship between nightmares and creativity. One study conducted by Michelle Carr proved that during a word-association task, those who experienced nightmares scored significantly better than those who do not.

This means that it is a positive relationship between nightmares and creativity.

You might find yourself too troubled to form sentences and all you can do is to write down some ideas and memories. As a writer, you can always use the help of some nerdy writers or you can hire a writer online who can proofread your drafts.

As a writer, you can get lost through ideas. It is always helpful when a fresh and new perspective is used to improve your drafts. This is the moment when you can ask for help from a professional.

How Useful Are Nightmares to Writers?

After I over analyzed all the studies about nightmares and creativity, an idea popped up. How useful are nightmares for writers, actually? How can I, as a writer, maximize the potential my nightmares have?

Well, these are some tricky questions. But studies helped me clarify some aspects.

Empathy – a study from 2013 showed that people who experience nightmares frequently, also display mirror behaviors. They tend to be more aware of the people and surroundings.

And it is well-known that there is a positive relationship between empathy and creativity, although we do not know the exact relationship. Nightmares might determine you to write more vivid, fuller of life stories.

The recall rate is high – this might be due to the characteristics of nightmares. It is hardwired in our brain to remember more bad things than good things.

This is especially visible when taking into consideration nightmares. They can be a great source of inspiration for your next horror or thriller story.

I talked a lot about nightmares. What are they, what triggers do they have or how are nightmares and creativity linked.

But, how can you take advantage of nightmares, as a writer?

Oh well, nightmares inspire you. They make you more creative in ways you wouldn’t have known were possible. The truth is, our brain is working all the time. And just a few of the things it is noticing reach the consciousness level. You must take advantage of them.

Write down as many details you remember. Or, if you have some hidden talents, you can draw or paint. The thing is, while you will be working on remembering as many details as possible, your creativity level will increase.

Your brain will be exercising, and your imagination will be unleashed. So, what are you waiting for? Start that dream journal and begin creating the most vivid and gripping stories you have ever written.

About the Author

Tiffany Harper is an experienced writer from New York (USA) and an extremely active woman. She began her career as a journalist, now she works as a subject matter expert with university assignment help, best essay writing , custom research paper, makes researches for domywriting reviews, Paper Writing Pro Service, and My-Assignment.Help. Also, Tiffany works as a special mentor with master thesis writing service, best paper writing services, expert writers, Pro Papers review, mostly in wellness and healthy lifestyle area. She gets inspiration for writing from travels and meeting new people, feel free to contact her on Twitter.