“We were as skint as you can be without being homeless, and at that point I was definitely clinically depressed,” said Rowling. “That was characterized by a numbness, a coldness and an inability to believe I would feel happy again. All the color drained out of life.”

Whether you’re severely or mildly depressed, you may feel the same numbness Rowling did. Don’t suffer in silence; click Self-Coaching: The Powerful Program to Beat Anxiety and Depression for help overcoming feelings of sadness or anxiety. And, try these specific ways to overcome mild depression…

5 Ways to Cope With Mild Depression for Women – JK Rowling

Research shows that creative activities, such as digging in the dirt and singing your heart out, can relieve stress, increase self-esteem, and improve your immune system. Even better, these activities can help you overcome symptoms of mild depression and improve your mood.

Get dirt under your fingernails. Gardening (weeding, even!) enhances emotional and physical well-being for many people, and University of Bristol researchers may have discovered why. Soil contains the friendly bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae, which increases the metabolism of serotonin in the brain. A lack of serotonin is connected to depression, and scientists hypothesize that this bacterium may improve mood, ease stress, and maintain a strong immune system. Landscaping, sowing seeds, and nurturing flowers or home-grown veggies may help women cope with mild depression.

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” ~ JK Rowling.

Pretend you’re a diva! “Even people who can’t sing can benefit hugely from doing so,” writes Don Campbell in The Mozart Effect. In one experiment, boys who couldn’t sing in tune participated in a weekly choir. After 11 weeks they still couldn’t sing – but their self-esteem and self-image improved. Singing can have the same effect on women who are mildly depressed; Campbell encourages people to sing loud and free, like we did when we were young. “Think how wonderful it felt to use your voice freely – to relax your jaw, express what has not been expressed, overcome your fears, and release frustrations that may have been building up for hours, weeks, or years.”

“Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!” ~ JK Rowling.

Give your partner a massage. When it comes to massage, it may be better to give than to receive! Researchers discovered that when elderly subjects gave a massage they had fewer medical complaints, less anxiety and stress, and fewer trips to the doctor than when they received one. Whether given or received, massage reduces pain and anxiety, increases well-being, and satisfies the need for caring and nurturing. Get creative with scented massage oils, various massage techniques, and different locations. If you’re single, you might find How to Find a Good Boyfriend Who Will Be a Loving Husband helpful!

“The best of us must sometimes eat our words.” ~ JK Rowling.

Sniff your way out of mild depression. Not only do natural scents directly affect your mind and mood, says naturopath Michelle Schoffro Cook, they also increase oxygen flow to the brain. Extra oxygen increases energy, immune function, and positive emotions. For instance, 35 year old Samantha uses aromatherapy every day to lift her spirits. “I’d seen it work for other health issues, but I had a hard time accepting that it could ease depression,” she says. “After using grapefruit and ylang ylang essential oils, I found I didn’t need antidepressants.” Dab your favorite essential oil in a handkerchief and sniff regularly throughout the day.

“It is our choices… that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ~ JK Rowling.

Force a laugh! The benefits of laughter – lower blood pressure, decreased stress hormones, and stronger immune function – occur even if you’re not laughing at something funny. “We can now laugh at will, for absolutely no reason, and we get all the health benefits,” says laughter yoga teacher Jeffrey Briar. “Plus, when done in a group, any ‘forced’ laughter quickly becomes real due to the social factor.” Laughter yoga combines breathing movements with “hee-hee-hee’s” to increase energy, lift moods, and relieve tension. If you’re struggling with mild depression, try forcing laughter with funny movies, comedy shows, or quotations from funny women…it could be the start of a whole new mood!

“Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” ~ JK Rowling.

If you have experience with or questions about mild depression, I’d love to hear from you! Please comment below…

Related posts:

1. 5 Ways to Cope With Chronic Illness – Natalie Goldberg
2. 5 Ways to Build Resiliency – JK Rowling
3. How to Follow Your Heart to Fame and Fortune – J.K. Rowling

I don’t think achieving fast fame and fortune should be any woman’s ultimate goal. We need to learn to follow our hearts – and be open to the possibility that fame and fortune could find us!

If your heart is set on being a famous writer, actor, or celebrity, click on How I Became a Famous Novelist for Steve Hely’s story (he’s an Emmy-award winning TV writer and book author). And, read on to learn how to follow your heart to fame and fortune, based on info from Marc Shapiro’s J.K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind the Harry Potter.

How to Follow Your Heart to Fame and Fortune – J.K. Rowling

Do what amuses you – and find a way to get paid for it. “I just write what I want to write,” says Rowling. “I write what amuses me. I never in my wildest dreams expected this popularity.” What are you doing when you lose track of time? What can you do for hours – and walk away feeling energized? Can you find a way to earn money from it? Those are the questions to focus on. Then, whether fame and fortune follows you or not, you’ll be happy!

Be selfish. Carve time out of your day to follow your heart. “In an ideal day, I’ll work six to ten hours,” says Rowling. “But now I’m fighting to get the time to write. I use cafes like offices and I try to get away from the house whenever possible.” That’s why she’s a successful woman: she knows what she loves – and she finds time to do it. If you struggle with procrastination, read 7 Ways to Overcome Procrastination at Work – Sarah Ban Breathnach.

Nourish your compulsion. “I literally don’t feel quite right if I haven’t written for awhile,” says Rowling. “A week is about as long as I can go without getting extremely edgy. It really is a compulsion.” Her compulsion to write isn’t necessarily something she was born with. Her writing habit grew: the more she wrote, the more she wanted to write. If you want to follow your heart to fame and fortune like J.K. Rowling, you need to make it part of who you are. Do you need a push? Go to 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women.

Remember that this, too, will pass. “[Fame] will go away. That’s the nature of the game,” says Rowling. “And when it does I believe I will be happy. And I will have fond memories of the time I was famous.” Whatever you’re dealing with — the struggle to do what you love, a physical or emotional illness that holds you back, a family or job that occupies all your time — remember that it will pass. You will one day be in a position to follow your heart…whether it’s towards fame, or away from fame, like J.K. Rowling knows will happen one day.

For more info about J.K. Rowling, read J. K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter. To learn what she says about bouncing back from failure, read 5 Ways to Build Resiliency – J.K. Rowling.

What do you think of these life lessons about following your heart to fame and fortune from J.K. Rowling? I welcome your comments below!

Related posts:

1. 5 Ways to Cope With Mild Depression for Women – JK Rowling
2. 5 Ways to Build Resiliency – JK Rowling
3. 4 Ways to Reconnect With Who You Were – Shirley Valentine

The life lesson: the most successful women in history are the ones who failed the most. The successful woman: JK Rowling! These five ways to build resiliency are inspired by Rowling’s Commencement Address at Harvard, called “The Fringe Benefits of Failure.” 

First, my favorite quotation about failure from Samuel Beckett:

“Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

To Jane soar, you need to build resiliency and use your failures as springboards to bigger, better things. Read on for five ways to build resiliency, inspired by JK Rowling. And, click on John Maxwell’s Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Success for more in-depth info on rising like a phoenix from the ashes!

5 Ways to Build Resiliency – JK Rowling

“Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged,” said Rowling at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association. “I was set free [by failure], because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

Building resiliency and overcoming failure is the biggest predictor of success at work, home, and in life in general.

1. Rebuild yourself. Failure isn’t a fatal flaw that renders you helpless and unhappy. It’s not a permanent condition. It doesn’t make you less worthy, less intelligent, or less capable. Failure isn’t who you are. It’s simply an event. How you cope with it – not the failure itself – is what determines your future as a successful woman. To build resiliency, accept that you’ll often be rebuilding your self, your business, your life.

2. Stop and think. Figure out exactly what caused the failure: Did the location of your business lead you to bankruptcy? Were you fired because you weren’t focused? Be honest and specific. To build resiliency, accept your mistakes and take responsibility.

3. Regain control. Once you know what went wrong, don’t make the same mistakes. You’re not doomed to repeat history unless you’re unaware of it! Ask yourself what you did right with your kids, your partner, your work, and savor your successes. To build resilience, take back control. 

4. Connect. To build resiliency, talk to successful women who survived similar situations. Find out what worked. What would they do differently? Compare stories. The more you hide the worse you’ll feel; be honest about your mistakes and regrets.

5. Adjust your perspective. “I actually consider my failure to become a feature film director as the beginning of what I consider a saner and more successful life,” says award-winning Bert Salzman. To build resiliency, adjust your perspective of what being a successful woman means. 

“The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive,” said Rowling. “You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned.”

What do you think of these ways to build resiliency? I welcome your comments below!

Related posts:

1. How to Follow Your Heart to Fame and Fortune – J.K. Rowling
2. 5 Ways to Learn From Your Mistakes – Ella Fitzgerald
3. 5 Ways to Cope With Mild Depression for Women – JK Rowling

The life lesson: success is often about finding the right timing in life. The successful woman: Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop. Here’s what she says about timing and business – and her thoughts on how age makes women radical!

“I am aware that success is more than a good idea,” says Roddick. “It’s timing, too. The Body Shop arrived just as Europe was going ‘green’.”

Her timing was perfect for The Body Shop – and for her hungry family. Here’s what inspired Roddick to start her business, and how finding the right timing increases your chances for success. And, click on Anita Roddick’s book Business as Usual: My Entrepreneurial Journey, Profits With Principles to learn more about how she succeeded.

Finding the Right Timing in Life - Anita Roddick

“I started The Body Shop in 1976 simply to create a livelihood for myself and my two daughters,” says Roddick. “My husband, Gordon, was trekking across the Americas.”

Roddick says that entrepreneurship is survival – even though nobody talks about it that way – and being an entrepreneur involves creative thinking. I’d say creative thinking is essential to being a successful entrepreneur! So is resilience, flexibility, and determination.

Roddick started The Body Shop to feed her family – just like many women start writing, teaching, or selling their products or services. Out of necessity, to survive. And that’s what they say about invention — it’s borne of necessity (“Necessity is the mother of invention”).

The first life lesson from Roddick: Perhaps the more necessary your dreams and goals are…the more likely you’ll succeed. That is, if you want to be a writer or small businessowner – you may be more likely to taste success if you have to succeed to feed your family and pay your bills. If you’re writing or playing with your business on the side, as a hobby, you may not be as hungry to survive. Hunger that can bring successful women to life! If you need a little push into a new career, read How to Successfully Change Careers – Suze Orman.

The second life lesson from Roddick: Success is – in large part – all about timing. To build a truly successful business, we need to be in the right place at the right time. Here’s an example I’ll never forget: Michael Creighton pitched the TV show ER in the 1970′s – long before viewers were ready for that type of medical drama. ER finally aired in 1994; the first time Creighton tried to run with the ER ball, he was 20 years too early.

So, you need to find the right timing in life…but what if you don’t? Successful women are resilient, and bounce back when their timing is off or when they fail. Successful women can put their ideas on hold for a few months or years, until the timing is right. And, successful women keep their eyes open so they recognize when new opportunities knock! For more info about bouncing back from failure, read 5 Ways to Build Resiliency. 

“The most exciting part of my life is now – I believe the older you get, the more radical you become,” says Roddick. She quotes Dorothy Sayers, who said, “A woman in advancing old age is unstoppable by any earthly force.”

What are your thoughts about finding the right timing in life and taking risks? I welcome your comments below…

For more info about The Body Shop, go to Anita Roddick.com.

Related posts:

1. When You’re Starting Your Own Business – What Successful Businesswomen Know
2. Turning Failure to Success for Female Entrepreneurs – Maya Angelou
3. 5 Steps to Being a Successful Woman – Katherine Hepburn