The topic of depression, anxiety, and extreme loneliness has been more frequent online over recent years. Honestly, I believe awareness is a good thing because it helps us acknowledge that it IS real and it CAN be dangerous. We need to talk about it more so that people who are actually dealing with it can feel that they have a platform to open up and feel safe doing so. 

I am no expert and I tread carefully when it comes to this because unfortunately, it is something I know very well. I have personally battled depression after the birth of BOTH my sons. It was a harrowing time and I had so many moments of utter disbelief at the way I was feeling and why I was feeling it and I had no idea how to overcome it. 

But one thing’s for sure: living an inspired life does wonders for my mental health. Knowing I really am blessed and giving thanks to the wonderful people who fulfil me is the reason I’m coping so well today. But I also realised that I have to find inspiration within myself. Like everything else in our lives, we truly have to learn how to love ourselves FIRST before we can love others. If we are completely comfortable with ourselves as people, then we can reflect that on our lives and the way we treat the people around us.

All the TED talk videos I will be sharing for this blog post has reminded me of my resilience, even when I didn’t think I had it in me. Even when I thought life was a constant battle that I didn’t have the energy to fight. Through this, I have been able to draw strength from my family. My Motto: never give up, live your passions, enjoy your life and continue working hard.

Overcoming hopelessness | Nick Vujicic | TEDxNoviSad

Nick Vujicic has no arms and legs. Yet we see him all over the internet, smiling and speaking words of inspiration and wisdom to thousands of people. He says again and again that “the world needs love and hope” and that “you are your biggest discourager.” The moment we recognise that the weight of others opinions has no bearing on our happiness, the more fulfilled we’ll be. 

“Who you are and why you are here. The choices you make will affect your life, your loved one’s lives, your eternal life.” 

Happiness is all in your mind: Gen Kelsang Nyema at TEDxGreenville 2014

Gen Kelsang Nyema’s most important quote during her talk is this: “It is how we respond to things to determine whether we are happy or unhappy.” True enough it really will be up to you and everything will boil down to how you respond to the people and the events around you. Be inspired by people who have it worse than you but still managed to live life and take it one day at a time. 

Life is easy. Why do we make it so hard? | Jon Jandai | TEDxDoiSuthep

We need to connect with ourselves and with everybody. Jon Jandai takes us back to the simple stuff. He sums up his talk by saying that our basic needs should be enough and it’s really that simple. We just make things complicated and it is in the simple and basic things that we really find ourselves.

There really is nothing wrong with wanting more for ourselves and be ambitious, we all want better lives right? But sometimes, and we see it all around us, we take too much without giving back. The world itself is trying to keep up with how much we are exploiting its natural resources. We are not giving our planet a chance to heal because we want more and more and more. Moderation is the key.

We all need inspiration in our lives but we have to remember to seek it within ourselves first, similar to loving ourselves first, before we can actually love and inspire the world. We may not know it, but in our own little ways, we are also an inspiration to those around us. 

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Francis of Assisi