Some of you may already know that I have had depression since I was a little girl which escalated during the time of my 10 year marriage and became 10x better with focused treatment. I've talked about the effects of depression on my mind, memory, and body and how I fought it in a blog post entitled, "My Journey with battling depression using St. John's Wort".
For the most part, my depression is manageable and I usually don't even realize that it is still a threat. Every now and then, however, stress augments creating a spike that causes a depressive or even a manic depressive episode. It has been so long since I have experienced mania that I almost forgot what it was like. A few weeks ago, I experienced extreme stress levels, because, you know... life. I was triggered into a manic depressive episode which lasted for about 4 days decreasing in intensity.
Thankfully, I've navigated this so many times that I was able to recognize it and contain myself for the most part. There are some things that I cannot control, however. One of the side effects of my mania is extreme creativity. My brain races from creative thought to creative thought. Perhaps it's my brain's way of trying to cope with the intense emotions.
In my mania, I created a book. I wrote a book in 4 days! The book that I've been working on, Enchant Your Life - 7 tips on living happily ever, after took me 2 years to write and I'm still needing to send it to the editor. But I wrote, edited, and published a book in just 4 days during a manic depressive episode.
The book is entitled, "How To Teach Yourself French - 10 tips to overcome the mental blocks preventing you from speaking French". I wrote and edited the book myself. I published it on ConvertKit and I've already sold quite a few copies. Yeah...
In my mania, I created a book. I wrote it in 4 days!
Depression is a horrible illness and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. But in my illness I have found a courage and tenacity that allows me to freely and courageously write. When I was finished with How To Teach Yourself French, I was very amazed at my own work. It is not perfect but it is certainly an expression of my writing style and story telling capabilities.
So, if you are trying to learn basic French grammar and you want to teach yourself how to speak the language, then read my book, How To Teach Yourself French, and discover 10 ways to overcome thoughts and perceptions that may keep you from fully adopting the language.
And if you or someone you know battles with depression, then just know that it doesn't have to be an entirely negative experience. My book is proof of that.