Anxiety Image

O My Soul:

I disagree with Sir Winston Churchill's imagery for depression. He called his depression his black dog.

I use the (snarling) black dog imagery to describe anxiety. Anxiety is no fun but easier to handle than depression.

I have a better handle on anxiety just like I am better able to handle attacking dogs. I learned to handle dogs delivering newspapers in Jr. High School. I kept the sack of newspapers on my left side and carried a tightly folded newspaper in my right hand. If a dog attacked I would swing the sack of newspapers between me and the dog then hit the dog on the nose with the folded newspaper. And, yes, sometimes I ran as fast as possible. Once I learned this system I rarely ever got bit. But each attack scared me nearly to death. Anxiety through the roof. I did it for the paycheck.

Depression is different. Depression looms large even in the absence of anxiety.

More on that later.

-oms