Are you feeling down, emotionless, lacking ambition and self-confidence? Well, have I got the cure for you!
Tucked inside a box lot I got at auction this week was a small ziplock bag with a pink ribbon stapled to a green sheet of paper with the words “Anti-depression Kit Contains:”
Interesting, I thought. It obviously was a joke of some sort, because you can’t find (or buy) a kit to relieve depression. Medicines can control clinical depression, but for the “down in the dumps” feeling we all get sometimes, changing our outlook can be the cure.
How we feel about ourselves can set our moods and our relationships. I truly believe that. If we’re sour, we act sourly and treat our friends and loved ones that way. We do have the ability to pull back and remind ourselves to act positively and civilly. We don’t have to be negative; the ability to determine our emotions is one element of control that we do have.
This makeshift anti-depression kit – and it looked truly handmade – was obviously meant as a joke and I took it that way. As I read the green sheet and looked at the items inside, I realized that there were some truths in the message.
This is what the kit contained:
An ERASER, so you can make all your mistakes disappear.
A PENNY, so you will never have to say, “I’m broke.”
A MARBLE, in case someone says, “You’ve lost all your marbles.”
A RUBBERBAND, to stretch yourself beyond your limits. (Unfortunately, the rubber band was brittle and broken – the more reason for us to rely on ourselves rather than a prop.)
A STRING, to tie things together when everything falls apart.
A HUG and a KISS, to remind you that someone, somewhere cares about YOU!
I couldn’t find anything to represent a hug and a kiss in the kit, but a website I visited mentioned Hershey’s candies as the token. I guess the previous owner of the kit ate the Hershey’s Kisses.
This kit bears the sentiment of the countless emails (many of which I delete) I get from folks. Every now and then, though, I get one that I can relate to and use. Do you? What do you do with them? Forward them? Take them to heart? Delete them?
I suppose for anyone having a bad day, receiving an anti-depression kit or a care message can make their day and boost their spirits. Maybe that’s why people feel inclined to send them and forward them.
Every now and then, we all need a little something-something.
You can make these kits on your own, write your own messages and give them out as fun gifts. One website offered some other items to put in them (Photo at left is by Ben Heine):
Candle, to light up the darkness.
Tissue, for drying your tears.
Toothpick, to pick out the good in others including yourself.
Cotton ball, for the rough roads ahead.
Confetti, to add some sparkle to your life.
Lifesaver, to remind you of the many times others need your help and you need theirs.
Another site offered kits for all kinds of occasions – back to school, boot camp, baseball, bike riders, why I love you, unemployment – while another suggested some of the same for people undergoing chemotherapy. Not a kit, but to make you smile, take a look at these YouTube videos of a laughing baby and a baby giving you the evil look.
I came across the anti-depression kit as a “sanity-saving” tip on this website for teachers, among some other things they do to keep sane. Imagine being in a classroom all day with kindergarten or grade-school children.
Maybe the anti-depression kit – and those emails – can induce a sense of serenity. How do you fight the doldrums?
