take this medication

I remember an episode of Buffy called 'fear itself'. The whole episode revolved around a terrifying monster and how to defeat it. It was very tense, with a lot of research (as always in Buffy) and strategizing, and finally, near the end of the show, they were ready to face the monster, which they did. That's when the reason for the show's title became clear. Everyone had heard the roars and growls and threats of the monster and assessed the threat on that basis and it seemed really dire. But when they actually faced this terrifying monster, it turned out that it was only a couple of inches tall and any of them could just squash it. They could have done that at the start and there would have been no issue. 

The title of the episode is an allusion to Franklin D Roosevelt's very memorable and profound statement that 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself'. In the same speech, Roosevelt talked about the 'nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance'.

My daily goals can be summarized as an effort to convert retreat into advance, rumination into action. We all have our own demons to face, and the truth is that courage and personal change are the answer. Doctors can't tell us that, because only we can take that initiative. It's better when there's no answer and no one understands. It's often better when professional help does not help, because then we have to change. We have to become someone else. We have to grow. We have to take positive steps that lead to healing. That is the answer.