One of the worst feelings that I’ve ever experienced – both in the throes of depression and in the height of my days of struggling with disordered eating – is the sense of floating free, of feeling completely disconnected. Tethering always helped with that.

Tethering has a lot of negative connotations – mostly related to confining and restricting the amount of space that a dog chained outside has. But a tether is also a cord, an anchor, that can hold us in place…

By anchoring ourselves with someone who is outside if the moment, it’s possible to not drift away – to not get lost in the emotion and anxiety of the moment.

Tethering can be as simple as calling a friend and reaching out. It can also be something that’s a little more complex.

I kept myself grounded by sending a postcard to a friend each and every day. Whether I put out there some trivial detail about the amazing color of the sky or voiced a frustration with the way that things were going at work, I knew that I was able to reach out. I knew that I was connected. And I was always on the lookout for that one standout thing that made all the difference in my day. It kept me connected and in touch – even on the days when I thought that I would simply drift away.