Depression is something that is far more widespread than most think, or will admit to. It is a pervasive and debilitating disease that, to paraphrase Shane Koyczan, “…cannot be cured by a pill from the first-aid kit.”
By the way, if you do not know who Shane Koyczan is, or have not heard or read his poem “To This Day”, do so now - http://www.upworthy.com/the-most-beautiful-way-to-stop-a-bully-ive-ever-seen?c=go1 . If it does not affect you in any way, please stop reading and report to your nearest mental health practitioner, you cannot not possibly understand what the rest of this blog is about.
Depression is real, many of us live with it, too few admit to it. Depression is not only feeling like you are going to end your life at any moment, it is also that feeling of despair when you drop your favourite coffee mug and it breaks, when you ask, why me, what else could go wrong today? It can even be a constant feeling of anger, aggression or restlessness.
Depression drags you down, you start to believe that it is pointless to continue, it is just not worth bothering…
Long-term depressives can become consummate actors – how many times have you heard “…but he always looked so happy”? Do yourself and your loved ones a favour, learn to spot depression and talk about it, and the reasons behind it.
Remember, men and women are affected by depression equally, men just tend not to admit to it as they think it is a sign of weakness – the weakness is in not admitting it.
What caused your depression is mainly you not dealing with your issues – they may be small, they may be big, but they are real issues that you have to face. It could be a series of events leading up to you giving up. Each of us have their own problems, each of us have to deal with them on our own level.
Face up to them, admit that they are getting to you, talk to your friends about it – this in its own will surprise you. You will receive help from people you would never have thought cared, but be aware, some who you thought really cared, will shun you. Too many people pay lip service to caring, but are so wrapped up in their own problems, they just don’t have the time to help others.
Only by exposing your fears and problems can you begin to address them, only then can you start to overcome them and deal with them.
As the late Douglas Adams said "I have terrible periods of lack of confidence. I briefly did therapy, but after a while I realised it was like a farmer complaining about the weather. You can't fix the weather – you just have to get on with it".
Accept the love and caring from those around you, they are truly there for you, to help you to become who you can be.
I again stress, if you have not yet followed the link above to Shane Koyczan’s poem, do it now. It will change your view on depression and life, it did mine.
No comments:
Post a Comment