What Stephen Hawking Can Teach Us about Good Mental Health

I woke up Wednesday morning to the news that Stephen Hawking had passed away. My first thought made me smile — that this incredible scientist who seemed to just will himself to stay alive against overwhelming odds, died on March 14th — Pi Day. Maybe that was his choice. Who knows? Stephen Hawking was a thinker — a brilliant scientist, professor and author who was known for his groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology. His books aimed to make science accessible to everyone. His more well-known works include A Brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, and A Briefer History of Time. At the age of 21, Stephen was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and given two to three years to live. Not surprisingly, after his diagnosis he dealt with depression, but was able to recover and go on to live 55 more years than originally expected. When asked how he was able to move past his depression, Professor Hawking mentioned two occurrences that impacted him. One happened while he was still in the hospital after his diagnosis. His roommate was a boy with leukemia, and Hawking felt that put his own situation in perspective. The other event was a dream he had in which he was going to be executed. This dream made him realize how much he wanted to live — he had so much he wanted to accomplish in his life. At a lecture he gave in 2016 at The Royal Institution in London, Professor Hawking alluded to depression when he explained to his audience...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Celebrities Grief and Loss Health-related Inspiration & Hope Memory and Perception Personal ALS Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Depression Gratitude Lou Gehrig's Disease Motor Neuron Disease Stephen Hawking Source Type: blogs