Depression Sucks

Today I spoke with a gentleman who has probably retired from many careers, but considers his life not to be over and works wherever he gets a chance. He told me also that when he hit his 40’s he felt he was being kicked out of a job he had worked so hard to move to the top in, and this caused him a great deal of stress. He considered himself successful. He had a wonderful career and his family owned a business in southern California. But then when it came tumbling down he had to re-invent himself. He said the job he was performing no longer needed him and when he came to terms with that he got a hold of the slight depression he was suffering because of it.

His story takes me a few years back -- I read a book entitled “Living With the Black Dog”. Depression was referred to by William Churchill who suffered from it, as the black dog. It was a story about a loving wife who considered herself lucky to be married to a loving husband and raise their family. But one day it all changed. Her husband lost interest in everything, including, and she felt especially, her. She would find him sitting in dark rooms and sometimes crying. He seemed, to her, to be always short tempered. They eventually got help for her husband but she oftentimes felt as though she was losing her mind and depressed as a result of his depression.

I read the book in about an hour and immediately sent the author an email of thanks. I was forever grateful to her for sharing her story and I felt that now I had hope to deal with the depression that a friend of mine was suffering with. This did not cure my friend and the relationship ended by his choosing, but what I did learn was that this condition is real.

Depression is a real horrible disease that feeds off itself. It doesn’t get better with time if not treated, especially in a person who may be more sensitive than someone else. Seek help if you are suffering with depression. Be careful with the prescription drugs that a doctor might want to prescribe to treat the symptoms, but can make you sick in other ways. Don’t recluse yourself - staying in your room under the blankets with the blinds closed. Talk about your feelings to someone you trust. Don’t be fearful of counselors who are there to listen and help you dig deeper into your own mind frame. As hard as it may be, find something you love to do, and do it. Most important remember that some people don’t and won’t ever understand that depression is real and can cause real physical symptoms. So don’t blame someone for telling you to just get over it. Pull yourself together, everyone has problems. Have a cup of chamomile tea. These things could possibly help the one suggesting them but everyone is different and healing comes in different ways.

Ciao Y’all