A major turning point for me happened in my early 30s (I'm 71 now.)
Up until then I had a melancholic/fatalistic disposition, i.e. this is how it is, nothing can be done etc. At the time I was studying psychology (for my degree) and chose a psychotherapy module. There I encountered concepts that were alien to my thinking, e.g. freewill, choice. People were choosing to change their reactions to life situations and feeling the benefit of doing this! At the time I recall thinking they were just duping themselves.
However, I was in a bad way - clinically depressed e.g. finding it hard to put one foot in front of the other i.e. to walk! So I had nothing to lose. I took a leap of faith, opened my mind to the possibility of using freewill/choice being real and tried it out.
Long story short - it worked i.e. is very real and empowering! I embraced this new way out of the depressive pit, finding it to be a vital/invaluable tool. It developed into acquiring a positive mindset....now hardwired into me some 4 decades on!
I made the transforming experience into a short story (about 3 paragraphs) which was accepted onto a depressives website to help others.
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