In The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian once found himself in the Slough of Despond, a place of despair that he had trouble escaping from. From time to time, I find myself in such a slump. I don’t know why, but sometimes it just happens.

I find myself having trouble enjoying the things that I always enjoyed or doing the things that I have always done. And as for those activities that are not enjoyable, I find them nearly impossible to do in such times. This is especially true of laundry and housework, but also of doing a good job at whatever employment I find myself at.

The purpose of this post is to tell you about a time a few months ago that I found myself in such a slump and what I did to get out of it. It was December 2007, and I was not at all excited about Christmas. I lived in Nashville, TN, where it was cold and desolate. I was running a failing business and knew that in the coming months I would have to reenter the standard workforce. To sum it all up, things were not going very well.

At first, I thought I would just give up, live homeless, and just exist until I finally died of whatever. Yes, I was truly depressed, and I didn’t know how to get out of it. In the past, I had done little things to get out of such feelings of despair… or nothing sometimes. Sometimes I would just snap out of it.

I didn’t, however, see myself snapping out of this depression any time soon. I had to decide what life was really worth to me and find a way to live it to the fullest. That’s when I began playing with an idea that I had had for some time. I thought about leaving the Nashville area and moving out west.

It was an adventure to be had. I could only imagine what it must be like living in the desert, where it was hot, where there were cacti, where the desolation was actually beautiful and upbeat. In addition, there was a lot of opportunity for jobs in the Phoenix, AZ, area, so I decided that that is where I would go.

My dream took a month to plan, and it was hard work. I had to essentially get my life in order, so to speak. I downsized everything so that all my possessions could fit in my car. Then I said goodbye to all my friends and drove West.

I drove and drove, and the scenery was captivating. As I drove, I contemplated my new life… somewhat with excitement and somewhat with fear. I knew from previous experience that life would not be a bed of roses just because I changed locations. I knew that the responsibility for a full life would fall to me, and me alone. But I also knew I could do it. I could form a new life in a new place.

I am certainly not advocating that just because you’re unhappy that you should move. Unhappy people that move often take their unhappiness with them. I am not even advocating a MAJOR change in your life. Small changes often work. Sometimes it helps to go get a cup of coffee. Or turn off the TV and read something. Or go for a walk. Or get a new job. Or join a club. Or a plethora of other things you can do to make small changes.