IWe are granted one earthly life, with no guarantee of length of stay. So why waste time and suffer trying to alter what may be set in stone? To put it musically, is your life in your key?
If we do not know or ignore the key to our life, our emotional and mental well-being is in danger.
Music has helped me weather many storms over the decades.
Do you find it comforting?
Considering the pull it has on my life, it makes sense that every now and then an article with a musical connection would naturally emerge.
It really wasn’t intentional.
Prelude
You probably already know that the key of a composition is a set of rules, so to speak, for its interpretation. “Okay, this is in G major.”
By knowing the key of a piece, the musician or group has an idea of where the note and chord action should be, as well as how the composition should sound.
Therefore, without a key, the intended expression of the composition is jeopardized, which would ruin the experience for both listener and performer.
And isn’t that true for those of us living with emotional or mental illness?
If we are unaware or ignore the key to our life, our emotional and mental well-being is at risk and this has the potential to ruin many experiences.
Life in the keys of Marti and Marty
We will get to where we need to go with the help of my friends Marti and Marty…
Marti
She understands this and considers all available options.
Marti has epilepsy. What is its origin? Well, neither she nor her doctor are quite sure. However, since she has no history of head trauma, brain diseases, etc., it is likely that her condition was caused by genetics.
It was very difficult for Marti to understand that epilepsy and its consequences on his life are not going to disappear. That is why he has to live in the key of, well, Marti.
To do this, you need to take medication, monitor your lifestyle, and consider all available options to keep your seizures at bay.
If you waste time on the elusive “solution” while losing focus on your management tasks, you will destroy your notes and chords.
Martyr
Closed mind to any available option
Marty has major depressive disorder. What is its origin? Well, neither he nor his doctor are quite sure. However, since he has no family history, trauma, etc., it is likely that his illness was generated by genetics.
Having never worked on it, Marty doesn’t understand that depression and its consequences on his life aren’t going away. That’s why he refuses to live in the key of, well, Marty.
And that means not using medication, not controlling your lifestyle, and not considering any other available options to keep your depression at bay.
If you waste time on the elusive “solution” while losing focus on your management tasks, you will destroy your notes and chords.
Does the comparison make you understand the importance of living within the key of your life? And more importantly, are you more like Marti or Marty?
The overlap factor
Let’s spend some time on the overlap factor we just mentioned. Always remember that many of us have multiple overlaps, which may have nothing to do with emotional or mental health.
For example, I said that Marty’s overlap is major depressive disorder and its consequences, but if he had, say, an anxiety disorder, he’d have to deal with another overlap, and something like overwhelming debt and insufficient income would add another.
So you need to take them all into account when setting your life key, but that assumes you really try.
The same thing happens to us, doesn’t it? And if we don’t take into account the notes and chords of the key we’ve chosen or don’t know how we want to sound, we’re going to have big problems.
The end
“My God, Bill, where do you get this stuff?” Well, I’ve survived mood disorders, anxiety and substance abuse all my life. Yeah, it’s been a journey.
The thing is, quite a while ago I started to better understand my multiple overlaps, some of them tending to be omnipresent, and I came to the conclusion that most of them were not going anywhere.
Do you live in misery?
The moment that hit me, my burden was lifted, because I knew I no longer had to waste time and suffer while searching for the elusive “solution.” Therefore, I could focus on self-knowledge, education, management, and growth, without altering what was written in stone.
I had no doubt about the key of my life. And I knew that if I didn’t follow the corresponding notes and chords, I would live in misery.
An earthly life, with no guarantee of length of stay, legitimate illnesses, overlaps: are you living life in the key of yourself?
Please read Chipur’s information and inspirational captions carefully. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.
After a decades-long battle with panic, generalized anxiety, mood swings and alcohol dependency, Bill finally found the passion of his life and work: helping those in the same situation. At age 49, he began graduate school and earned his counseling credentials. And he continues his service through Chipur and other projects.
