Tag: depression

Elizabeth Wurtzel, Brave New World, Little Miss Sunshine, Therapy in a Nutshell, and a Dhammapada Verse

Elizabeth Wurtzel, Brave New World, Little Miss Sunshine, Therapy in a Nutshell, and a Dhammapada Verse

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on August 6, 2023

Sunday Supplement #117 (August 6th, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key.”

– Elizabeth Wurtzel

Book of the Week:

Brave New World – Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World depicts the World State city of London in AF 632 (2540 AD), where citizens are born through artificial wombs and into predetermined castes.

The novel focuses first on Bernard Marx, a psychologist, and member of the high caste, suffering from an inferiority complex because of his short stature and sub-par looks.

Bernard disagrees with the State’s methods of keeping its citizens peaceful and vocalizes his displeasure, which threatens his position.

A holiday to the outside world brings the perspective of life removed from Government control. The subsequent experiences after the revelations have consequences back in the World State.

Huxley’s dystopian classic is on many best/greatest novels lists and is a brilliant exploration of human emotion.

Movie of the Week:

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine follows the Hoover family’s cross-country road trip in their VW bus to get their daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant.

The oddball comedy from first-time writer Michael Arndt with directorial debuts from Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, made $101 million from its $8 million budget.

Little Miss Sunshine explores each dysfunctional family member portrayed by Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collete, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, and Steve Carell.

The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Abigail Breslin), and won Best Writing – Original Screenplay and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Alan Arkin) at the 2007 Academy Awards.

Little Miss Sunshine is a wonderful exploration of the ups and downs of life packed in an engaging and entertaining narrative.

Brainfood of the Week:

Fight Depression and Burnout in 2 Minutes a Day | Therapy in a Nutshell

The video starts with Emma McAdam, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, discussing how our brains are much better at focusing on survival than focusing on being happy.

Because of this default setting, we find ourselves hyper-attuned to negative information and can form harmful habits.

McAdam goes on to break down an exercise to combat negative thinking and help rewire your brain to increase positivity.

Emma McAdam set up her YouTube channel Therapy in a Nutshell to make mental health resources easier to access. She takes therapy skills and psychological research and condenses them down into bite-sized nuggets of help.

Therapy in a Nutshell has over 1 million subscribers and over 84 million views. If you like this video, check out more of McAdam’s content.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“It is in the nature of the foolish to be full of sorrow and feel depressed when things go wrong and to be full of gladness and feel elated when things go well. The wise, however, can withstand the ups and downs of life.”

– Dhammapada 83

This verse from the collection of sayings of the Buddha came off as some pretty hard tough-love when I first read it.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that it speaks to the wisdom that can come with age and experience.

I don’t necessarily think the verse criticizes the feelings of depression, sorrow, gladness, and elation but instead emphasizes the wisdom of not getting lost in them.

It is important to be aware of your emotions and to check in with yourself so you don’t get carried away or swept away by elation or depression.

Check in with yourself, be aware of your feelings, ask for support, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Mary Anne Radmacher, The Prince of Tides, Eternal Sunshine, One Day At A Time, and a Japanese Proverb

Mary Anne Radmacher, The Prince of Tides, Eternal Sunshine, One Day At A Time, and a Japanese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on May 29, 2022

Sunday Supplement #55 (May 29th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

– Mary Anne Radmacher

Book of the Week:

The Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy

Pat Conroy was a bestselling author with numerous awards for his novels and memoirs, including an F. Scott Fitzgerald Award in 2005.

Conroy’s novel The Prince of Tides is arguably his most famous.

Tom Wingo, a high school English teacher and football coach who recently lost his job, finds out his twin sister, Savannah, attempted another suicide and was hospitalized.

Wingo travels to New York to look after his sister and recounts the traumas of his upbringing.

The Wingo family has a tragic past that shaped each sibling’s life, which Tom has done his best to leave behind.

Tom is forced to relive the past after forming a relationship with Savannah’s psychologist that started by helping fill in the background of their childhood.

Wingo also has to deal with the present turmoil in his own family life after learning before leaving for New York that his wife is having an affair.

Pat Conroy’s brilliant novel spans forty years and takes a deep look into darker human experiences. It is a beautifully written and powerful story.

Movie of the Week:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Joel Barish, played by Jim Carrey, finds out that his girlfriend Clementine Kruczynski, played by Kate Winslet, had all her memories of him erased by the firm Lacuna after their latest fight.

Barish decides to undergo go the same procedure after feeling heartbroken and recounting his memories of their strained relationship.

Barish begins to experience earlier happy memories as the firm initiates the procedure and realizes that he does not want to forget her.

The film won one Oscar, Best Writing – Original Screenplay, and received one other nomination for Kate Winslet in Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind delves profoundly into the complicated nature of relationships. The visuals of the movie are fantastic.

Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth crafted a brilliant film that offers a truly unique viewing experience.

Brainfood of the Week:

Taking It One Day At A Time | The School of Life

The School of Life is a YouTube channel consisting of psychologists, philosophers, and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more reliant lives.

I’ve featured their videos before in Sunday Supplement #33 and Sunday Supplement #51.

In this video, The School of Life focuses on the concept of taking it a day at a time and the lessons that perspective brings.

Many things we place our hopes on take a long time to realize. Whether those hopes come in the form of a dream career, a house, or a family, they often take years or even decades.

Sometimes life places us in situations where a long-term hopeful disposition becomes impossible to maintain.

The typical response is to take things one day at a time. And this perspective has a lot to offer regardless of your situation.

The School of Life discusses how taking it day by day reduces the degree of control we expect to bear on the future. It allows us to combat impatience and overly critical thinking.

Conversely, we can attend to the little gifts within our grasp. We can be grateful for the things we often take for granted. A few wins from the day can help us move forward.

This is just a synopsis of the video, but there is much more wisdom in the video and on The School of Life channel worth checking out.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Three years sitting on a rock.” (石の上にも三年)

– Japanese Proverb

This Japanese proverb, three years sitting on a rock, speaks about change after hard times.

It might be difficult to see where the change happens from sitting three years on a rock, but the difference is that the rock gets warm.

By persevering through difficult times, we can often find that our situations change, especially if we look at different perspectives.

Sometimes we need to take it a day at a time, but we can see how much change we’ve experienced when we look back over a long period.

Growth takes time. Difficult situations change or pass by. I think of this proverb and how I can use my days while knowing that the rock will provide me warmth.

Things might not seem good in moments, but look to the good things in your life and know that you will be further along your path as time passes.

Know that bad times will eventually pass, cherish the good in your life, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Maxime Lagacé, Who Moved My Cheese?, The Matrix, Eckhart Tolle, and a Zen Proverb

Maxime Lagacé, Who Moved My Cheese?, The Matrix, Eckhart Tolle, and a Zen Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on September 12, 2021

Sunday Supplement #18 (September 12th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Self-esteem begins with self-understanding, grows with courage and perseverance, and ends with confidence.”

– Maxime Lagacé

Book of the Week:

Who Moved My Cheese? – Dr. Spencer Johnson

Dr. Spencer Johnson was a bestselling author and physician. He wrote a series of children’s books, Value Tales, and was most famous for his book Who Moved My Cheese? The self-help book hit the New York Times Bestseller list multiple times and the Publishers Weekly Hardcover nonfiction list.

Who Moved My Cheese? follows two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two “Littlepeople,” Hem and Haw, who live in a maze and search for cheese for nourishment and happiness. Each mouse and Littleperson has their own personality, which affects how they pursue the cheese in the maze. The cheese is a metaphor for what you want in life: a loving relationship, a good job, money, possessions, health, or spiritual peace of mind.

Throughout the story, the cheese continually moves. The cheese factories stop producing cheese, and each character responds differently. The mice are quick to search for new cheese, while the Littlepeople are reluctant to embrace change. Eventually, one of the Littlepeople plucks up the courage to dive back into the maze and leaves notes on the wall for the other Littleperson to follow.

The allegory of Who Moved My Cheese? is brilliant for those experiencing being stuck. It is a reminder of what happens when you choose to embrace change and the new opportunities that result. It is a short read but has many powerful messages throughout. Check it out if you’re in a rut or are looking for a motivational read.

Movie of the Week:

The Matrix

With The Matrix Resurrections coming out later this year, I thought it’d be fun to look back at the first Matrix movie. The Wachowskis wrote and directed a brilliant film that is a visual masterpiece that makes you think. Many action movies that come out nowadays don’t require much engagement. The Matrix treats its audience as intelligent beings and poses questions and riddles that allow for a philosophical exercise wrapped in a Sci-Fi/Action storyline.

Thomas A. Anderson is a programmer for a software company who has a double life as a computer hacker. His alter-ego Neo searches for the answer to the question “What is the Matrix?” and finds out the rabbit hole goes much deeper than he could have imagined.

The film presents many existential questions, like “What is real?” Neo explores this question and embarks on a journey from Nihilism to Enlightenment. The YouTube channel, The Take, has a fantastic video that breaks down the themes and structure of the movie. They show Neo’s Hero’s Journey with the main stops being Dreaming, Destruction, Reconstruction, Self-Knowledge, Doubt, Belief, and Love. The video is a beautiful deconstruction of the film and adds a greater depth to those who’ve seen the movie before.

If you haven’t seen The Matrix, it is definitely worth checking out. It can be a little intense, so read up on it a bit before you give it a watch. If you’ve seen it before, check out The Take’s video and see if that gives you a different perspective for your next viewing.

Brainfood of the Week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBA8W3ldPrA&list=WL&index=40

The Challenge of Self-Esteem – Eckhart Tolle Teachings

I’ve covered Eckhart Tolle in Sunday Supplement #7, but he is a person worth revisiting. He is a spiritual teacher, public speaker, and best-selling author. Tolle’s #1 New York Times bestselling book The Power of Now has Deepak Chopra’s endorsement, “One of the best books to come along in years. Every sentence rings with truth and power.”

Tolle has a YouTube channel where he posts clips of his talks. In this video, he talks about the challenge of self-esteem and how to avoid a negative perception.

The video beings with Tolle explaining how we often live in a conceptual reality and identify with how we are thinking. How we see ourselves is rooted in typically rooted in our thoughts. The image of self often comes from comparison related to ego. We tend to rank ourselves based on material things or abilities to gauge our existence against others.

Tolle maintains that the only healthy perspective of self-esteem comes from a deeper place of presence. When you are aware of simply being, no narrative is required to justify your existence. His beliefs around this remind me of those moments when I am conscious and in the moment. I am not thinking but am feeling present and am in awe of the world.

Those moments don’t happen as often as I want, but I know they are there, and I focus on doing my best each day to build the habit of being present. I still plan for the future, but the less I worry about it, and the more I have faith that things will work out, the more I find myself at peace. Tolle is one of the authors I enjoy most, and I think his material is well worth checking out. Let me know what you think!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place.”

– Zen Proverb

This Zen proverb reminds me that everything happens for a reason. That is a challenging perspective to have when many things in life are always sad or horrible on one level. After I’ve processed more difficult times, I try to remind myself that I get to choose how I view the event and how I want to move forward.

That perspective allows me to take control of my life and my thoughts. I can reframe a painful experience as one I can learn from. I’m not always able to do this, but I try to catch myself when I am depressed. I try to be kind and remind myself that I can choose how I want to continue.

I hope this passage rings true with you, and I hope you see countless beautiful snowflakes in your future.

Have a blessed week ahead!

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Eleanor Roosevelt, Stephen King, Collateral, Cognitive Distortions, and an Atharva Veda Passage

Eleanor Roosevelt, Stephen King, Collateral, Cognitive Distortions, and an Atharva Veda Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on June 6, 2021

Sunday Supplement #4 (June 6th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Book of the Week:

Eyes of the Dragon – Stephen King

Eyes of the Dragon takes place in the medieval setting of Delain. The kingdom mourns the death of their king, who was murdered in strange circumstances. An evil wizard plots to see the king’s son, Peter, imprisoned for his father’s murder, which would put Peter’s irresolute younger brother in line for the throne. Peter is the only one who knows the truth, and only he can save Delain from the evil wizard’s plans.

On the cover jacket of the 1st edition, King stated, “Although I had written thirteen novels by the time my daughter had attained an equal number of years, she hadn’t read any of them. She’s made it clear that she loves me but has very little interest in my vampires, ghouls, and slushy crawling things.” He goes on to assure readers that it wasn’t a children’s book either— “I respected my daughter enough then – and now – to try and give her my best… and that includes a refusal to ‘talk down.’ Or put another way, I did her the courtesy of writing for myself as well as for her.”

The book wasn’t well-received by King’s following at the time, though. A few years later, he wrote Misery. Interestingly, Misery’s plot follows an author who tries to break free from his typecast by killing off the main character of his popular Romance series, only to be later taken captive by a deranged fan and forced to write another book in the series. I always thought Misery was a subtle (or not so subtle) jab at his followers for the reception of Eyes of the Dragon.

Stephen King is often unfairly labeled as just a horror author. There are actually many of his books that disprove this typecast. I didn’t read King for a long time because I didn’t like horror. However, I’m glad I gave his books a chance. There’s a reason he’s one of the most famous authors alive. And I believe there is a King book out there for everyone. Eyes of the Dragon is one for those who are fans of Fantasy.

Movie of the Week:

Collateral

The 2004 Drama/Thriller follows a cab driver grinding out shifts to make enough money for his own limo company. The audience is introduced to the driver, Max, and sees a pleasant exchange between him and a fare, Annie. His next fare turns out to be a contract killer, Vincent. Over the course of the night, Vincent forces Max to escort him to and from each of his hits. All of the dots end up connecting.

Jamie Foxx plays the cab driver, and Tom Cruise plays the contract killer. Both excel in their roles and drive the movie forward with captivating performances. Jada Pinkett Smith and Mark Ruffalo hold their own with significantly less screen time, and brilliant cameos from Javier Bardem and Barry Shabaka Henley round out the top-class acting.

The screenplay is a perfect puzzle with no extra pieces. And each piece is a crucial element to the overall story. Director, Michael Mann, put the actors through the paces to bring the story to life. Months of prep work went into the character building, which only shows on the screen in the flow of the acting, but it was crucial for bringing out the intensity of the movie. The detail that went into creating the film’s world can be seen on the DVD extras in the making of the film.

*If you want to see how months went into choreography, character building, scene prep, camera work, art direction, and the score of the film, check out the link— it gives a stunning inside look into how much work can go into the making of a movie.

Collateral has so much depth from a simple story because of the original script by Stuart Beattie. That framework allowed everyone involved to bring their expertise and talents to the table, which resulted in the powerful final product. The movie’s competence and quality in all departments are what makes it last in the annals of film history. It is certainly worth checking out for a future movie night.

Brainfood of the Week:

“Cognitive Distortions: 10 Examples of Distorted Thinking” – Healthline.com article

Cognitive distortions are thought patterns that promote inaccurate, usually negative, ways to view reality.

– Failing when trying something for the first time and assuming that you’re not good at it or that it’s not for you.

– Being able to cheer others’ accomplishments but not your own— Viewing what you did as not great and being subjectively negative about achievements.

These are examples of cognitive distortions. They can occur as random thoughts or when you’re tired and stressed. But they can become habits if done often, which results in increased anxiety, depression, and difficulty interacting with others.

The Healthline.com article discusses the types of cognitive distortions, where they come from, and how you can change them. It is a useful article to review and can be a valuable tool for understanding these types of behavior.

Whether cognitive distortions are something you experience or are something you see in the actions of others, being able to identify them is extremely helpful in recognizing and breaking out of the negative viewpoint.

Closing Prayer/Passage:

“Do not be led by others, awaken your own mind, amass your own experience, and decide for yourself your own path.”

– Atharva Veda

Something I’ve worked on over the past year is being present and being able to speak up and advocate for myself. It’s still a work in progress, but I believe listening to your heart is crucial in living your best life.

That doesn’t mean I’m always right, but it’s a good compass to go by, and I hope to always learn from my mistakes.

Have a blessed week ahead, and listen to your heart!

*P.S. My apologies to anyone who filled out a contact form on the Contact tab. There was an issue with the programming, and I did not receive your message. I have fixed the problem, and I will now be able to receive messages.

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