In his new book, My Life, My Fight, Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams talks about spiraling into depression after his dad passed away.
“After my dad died, I didn’t have [the fight]….I knew I wanted to do something but I just didn’t know what that thing was. And if a purpose hadn’t come along soon, I would have started looking for something, anything, to feel a high.
“When I think back, I realise that I was actually very lonely and, if I’m honest, probably a little depressed. No one had told us how to cope with grief. We didn’t see a counsellor or go to any therapy sessions.”
So what did Adams do?
“For me, the trick to fighting thoughts of loneliness has always been to find a routine.”
Routines are hugely important in the fight against depression.
Among other things, it’s thought that routines build “familiarity and predictability” and focus that can keep your mind from wandering into the end of a French movie.
Photo: Keith Ellison.
