The Weight of "What Ifs"

The combination of anxiety and depression is a common experience for many today. They can be experienced separately, of course. Anxiety can be a kind of pervasive, worried uncertainty. Depression can be a kind of darkened perspective that drains emotion and energy.

But, I heard a children’s story one time that helped me with the combination.

Bruce Moose was depressed and isolated from his forest friends. But, the problem was these nasty little creatures called “what ifs” that were gathering up on his antlers and weighing his head down. He just couldn’t keep his chin up anymore. “What if this, that, or the other thing go terribly wrong?” Those anxious thoughts and feelings can cut us off from experiences of joy—even simple outings with friends—which can weigh us down into depression over time.

Bruce Moose learns to shake off the “what ifs” and stops letting them boss him around. He learns to voice confidence, to voice opportunities to grow stronger through setbacks, to voice appreciation for how very often things actually go well.

We can, too. It might not fix everything, but it certainly helps.