By now the scathing heat of the lava dripping from the volcanic ash from mount doom has gotten to you. Your long unexpected journey has brought you here and with it, the most cumbersome ring that has ever existed in Middle-Earth – and Gandalf just “happened” to forgo his magic eagles.
This battle with agoraphobia and depression has left you in tatters. You’re grimy, a bit smelly, extremely sweaty and lord knows your feet are unsightly – mainly because you’re a hobbit. Now you sit atop the mountain, on the very precipice to the rest of your life. Your long arduous journey teeters on your ultimate decision, will you fight the inclination and finally banish the ring and all of its evils from existence forever, or will you embrace the darkness and never let go?
Shame on you, you know how the movie ends – or at least you should.
If by some miracle you haven’t seen Lord of the rings, ill give you the opportunity now to go watch it.
No, seriously go, watch.

Ill catch a grenade for you Mr. Frodo.
Let someone carry the load, like Sam
It can be really easy to give in to the seduction of the ring. The ring is the literal representation of a cool glass of water on the hottest day possible, nay the fires of Mordor burning you away.
Having a Sam to walk around with you is a pretty awesome thing to have, so don’t burden yourself with all of your worries and fears, put them on the shoulders of others and maybe together they can help you lift yourself out of your little hobbit hole you have dug. You know, because you just happen to have a hill in New Zealand that you frequent, for no reason. Unless you are from there.
Shout out to my New Zealander readers…if there are any.
In real life, Sam doesn’t exist. But everyone has a Sam “adjacent” in their lives trying to help them that you haven’t noticed yet. It might be your mom, your friend, that weird kid in class that knows way to much about you, but most times, hes there. If you don’t have a Sam “adjacent,” guess what, you have me and I am always here for you – as well as the rest of WordPress. Never be afraid to unload your fears and worries here. Most of us are nice down to earth folk who are not secretly serial killers. I think.

Little guys move to the front, um, oh wow, they are still way shorter than the other guys, uh, how about you guys kneel or something?
Hobbit holes can get lonely
The Journey is long and dark…its nice to have companions that have walked the same path before.
You already feel alone, dealing with it alone will only leave you feeling – alone, buried deep within a hobbit hole in the ground. Then again, hobbit homes are essentially the definition of comfort and perfection, especially for small people like me. In fact, I would probably trade my current living situation in the wild for a hobbit home.
Sorry, got off track for a bit.
A hole, that’s what you are digging a thick, black tenebrous hole. You need help to get out of the hole. Friends, therapists, other trained individuals, me – seek out information and get the help you need you are not all knowing. Leave that stuff for me. For god sakes, call Gandalf, get some eagles to fly you the rest of the way, the eye of Sauron is tough.
If you are looking for some inspiration, just imagine Gandalf saying “You shall not pass, into the void of agoraphobia.”
Also, check out my literal post on how I cured anxiety, that might help a smidge.

Lebron trying to get his next ring……
Just drop the ring…get rid of agoraphobia
You started this adventure to finally get rid of your agoraphobia, little did you know it would be the greatest adventure in all of English literature – spanning decades, creating a new genre and a new language in the same instance.
You’ve seen it all; from talking trees, to a system of magic and power you can’t possibly comprehend. (Let alone where you fit in) You’ve seen a grey wizard turn white, a giant cat eye that could literally gaze through cloud, deception, shadow, earth and flesh. A Man (a good looking one at that) who united the army of the undead with the army of the living with his famed sword Isildur and made you feel not so short.
But, its time to let it go Frodo, (can I call you Frodo?) Let go of the pain the anguish, the stress of the hobbit lifestyle. Let Gollum chase after the ring into the fiery pits of mount doom. Don’t let agoraphobia be your burden any longer. Its time for you to sail off into the beautiful endless sunset where the skyline and the earth meet – but then come back relaxed and happy like you were on a vacation.

Tears and goosebumps every single time.
My friends, you bow to no one
Yes, you’re a hobbit, sure you look a bit miniature and have messed up feet, but that doesn’t make you a bad person. You’re just short – like me, and much like Frodo, although you might not think you can achieve the unthinkable, you can defeat agoraphobia and save the world of middle earth, you can topple the eye of Sauron and Mount Mordor. I know you can do this, because no matter how small you think you are, or how difficult you might think agoraphobia is to defeat. “My friends, you bow to no one.” So, stand up as tall as your little legs allow and fight back. Now is your time to roar, like a Lion.
Remember, hobbits can be lions too.
Good read 👌 NZ is not to far from Aus! 👋
I’m currently in a hobbit hole…i did try to ask a Sam for help but because I couldn’t explain how I felt or why, I was called a liar and that I should just climb out of my hole myself. Its too muddy for my tiny hands, I keep slipping further down. I’ll have to wait it out until Summer when the mud is lumpy I guess…… (might watch lord of the rings while I wait…)
Here, I just threw you a rope made of love. Time to climb 🙂 time to climb.❤
Why thank you ❤ I wish humans were as nice and fluffy as lions 😏
🙂
Great post! Love the correlation with the movie (who hasn’t seen it?!)
I dont know, I had to cover my basis lol.
What a wholesome post! Perfect way to start a Monday morning 😊
Thank you so much:)
This is hilarious to me because I do actually look like Frodo 😂
I need pictures for sure. Your profile pic you look quite human to me.
Do your feet look massive for your size?
Mhmm, definitely some hobbitting going down in this here parta town (:
Finally a blog that sees mental health issues through the lens of nerd lore! I love it! Glad to find your site!
One day I woke up and was like….wait. Batman had anxiety. So did Frodo, jesus so did Anakin lol. I found it funny but at the same time since I’m a nerd myself it really helped tie everything together. Im happy you found the site as well 🙂
I see a lot of myself in Frodo.
So true. I feel like Anakin, if I had to choose the type from above.
A really inspiring post, you write so beautifully. (Even though I don’t really feel it right now, like “yeah right, who’d want to be a Sam”.)
Aaaaaaaahhhk! I do agree that Frodo is a worthy role model. But! I deplore these movies! I’ve read the Lord of the Rings series probably 10 times, and like 5 of those times have been out loud. And in the name of Tolkien, how DARE Hollywood decide to leave out Tom Bombadil? It’s hard to accept mussings abouts with favorite literature. Plus, I seriously covet playing the role of Gandalf.
I couldn’t agree more. You seem very passionate about this, I would love to read a blog post by you about that topic. I think it would…be the one to rule them all….ok ok kill me lol.
I completely adore this.
❤ thanks for reading 🙂
“’What do you fear, lady?’ he asked. ‘A cage,’ she said, ‘To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”
💘💘💘
That’s three Legolas arrows to the heart.
That bit gets you good. I always liked her more than Arwen..
So, this was awesome. Not only do I have a deep abiding love for LOTR (my dad started reading The Hobbit to me as a bedtime story) but the message was perfect. Saving this in my notes for sure. Awesome awesome. Not to mention you’ve got a great voice and are an excellent writer 🙌🏼 thanks for this!
Thanks Freckles. Can I call you that? I’ve noticed lately that alot of beloved characters from books and movies go through the same struggles that we do, although on a bit grander scale. When I thought about the ring, it really rung home that although Sam wanted to help, Frodo struggled internally just like anxiety. Thanks again for reading.
Hah, of course. It’s quite fitting 😉 And you are right, one of the many reason I love the arts. So many personal connections can be made from different works. Yours was the perfect analogy. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. And appreciated the application it had to my life currently.
I just introduced the fiance to the extended editions this past weekend. I hadn’t seen them in far too long, and Aragorn’s line at the end ALWAYS gets me. But you’re so right. Just like the Beatles said: “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Sometimes you need a little help, and that’s okay. That’s what friends are for.
Hoo boy those extended editions are long. I remember trying to do a marathon with those. We got through fellow ship and the two towers and then return of the king was a bit hazy for me haha. It was 4 in the morning after all.
Haha yeah I don’t have the stamina for a marathon like that anymore. We spaced them out pretty well to make it manageable thoigh
So glad I started reading these posts!
I’m glad you found them 🙂
Great read and a great message. I’m with you…we try to carry these things around ourselves and forget (or deny) those that are on the journey with us. The ring may be ours to carry, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t people carrying us as we carry the ring.
Exactly! I literally just visualized Sam holding Frodo over his head haha.
Really great post, nerdy… truly.
Thanks Grumpy, really appreciate your words, no matter how grumpy they may be.
Congratulations I have nominated you for a Blogger Recognition Award. https://kjeastwick.com/2018/02/11/blogger-recognition-award/ I enjoy your writing and your ideas. This award takes a long time to respond to, so if you do not wish to respond, I am fine with that. Cheers KJ Eastwick
I promise that I will try to respond with the next few weeks. I appreciate this award 🙂 I have been getting a bit more than I can handle lately so I’m working on addressing them pretty soon! Thanks so much!
💙👌🏼🥂
<3
Great post. The comparison is EPIC and works perfectly! – who would’ve thought!
Thanks for the reminder and to everyone reading: keep smiling!
Thank you very much 🙂 I enjoyed the comparison as well.
Absolutely love the Lord of the Rings comparisons! Thanks for this!
Thanks for reading 🙂
I feel bad for my husband. His new therapist isn’t very compassionate and he has become closed off to her already.
That’s horrible. Well, he still has you. Hopefully he can open up to you.
Yes indeed. It’s not easy to hear what he has to say, but I listen with love.
The first thing I thought of with a sinking heart is how my VERY unsupportive partner would have laughed at the bit where you say, “Let someone else carry the load”. In the movies Sam actually says he could just ‘share’ the load and even that would be so great, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately my partner sneers at any such ideas, telling me I live in a rich “fantasy world” if I believe anyone else should have to “handle my problems for me”. I of course believe otherwise; I always have believed in compassion and even sacrifice in order to help a friend or loved one. Apparently I’m wrong and I should just deal with my agoraphobia, depression, crippling panic disorder and all else by myself. He tells me (thinking he’s helping me), “Only YOU have the power within you to do it; depending on someone else is a mistake.”
Please check my latest post ‘Insecurity, Anxiety and Depression’. It’s specially for parents to know and understand better about their children and what they’re being going through. It’s really important to spread awareness and saving lives of our precious little kids. You’re doing great work. God bless you.
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