GTD saved me from mental meltdown
Before I learned about GTD, I had been trying to manage my life with the traditional time management systems, daily and weekly to-do lists, ABC priority codes, and nothing worked. Gradually I slid into a state of mental chaos; I couldn't concentrate, I couldn't focus, and I couldn't decide what was the best thing for me to do in a given moment.
I suppose I would have been diagnosed with some sort of anxiety disorder had I sought professional help. Depression does run in my family too, and I have experienced that from time to time (not really since I started GTD, though).
I didn't want to seek professional help because deep inside I knew that they couldn't give me what I wanted and needed -- a reliable system for dealing with the commitments in my life -- but they would give me something that I didn't want -- prescription drugs. I know that adverse reactions to prescription drugs are one of the top 3 causes of death in the USA, so I have a negative neuro-association to them. GTD gave me what I needed and so much more. It's also enabled me to make sense of and implement other personal development training I've undertaken (Stephen Covey's "7 Habits", Anthony Robbins's "Get the Edge", etc) more effectively.
GTD solves problems at an operational level. However, as Covey states in "The 7 Habits", we cannot solve problems at or below the level in which they are created. GTD won't solve clinical depression, but it will help relieve mental stress, which will make it easier to deal with the depression.
The best advice I can offer is to keep your mind clear by not filing anything in your head and focus on yourself--love yourself. Take care of your body; put nourishing things into it. Cleanse and detoxify--try a spa treatment or two. Get your body in motion; go for a brisk walk in a beautiful place. Act the opposite of how you feel when you're depressed; even if you have to fake it at first...your brain will catch up to your body.
Best wishes.
