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“I’m depressed” – till this day I remember how it felt. Depression came into my life and it was there to stay. Everything suddenly dimmed, and I was left alone against cold, black void that consumed my soul and feelings.
God, I was only a teenager – and that made things were even more complicated. Took me a lot of time to learn how to fight and defeat depression, and now I want to share my knowledge with you.
Please, don’t think I’m one of those that say “oh, it’ll pass. I remember when I was your age, I felt just the same”. Although I can pretty much guess how you feel, depression is always a deep, personal tragedy. Nobody really knows how horrible it is, especially those who have never been depressed. To them, your “I’m depressed” sounds more like “I just have a bad mood today and I want some attention”.
Don’t blame the others, especially if it’s your loved ones. I’d bet they would be shocked to find out how grey and hopeless your world looks now. However, one of life’s basic rules states that the only one who can truly help yourself is you.
Of course, I don’t mean you can’t seek outside help. There are lots of things that can help you right away, from vitamins and up to psychiatrists and antidepressants. However, the key is not to rely on those 100%. You are the one who will walk the last mile.
Seen “The Matrix”? Remember how Morpheus told Thomas Anderson aka Neo “I can only show you the door, but you’re the one who have to walk through it”? That’s exactly what I’m trying to say!
So, instead of saying yourself “I’m depressed”, why don’t you ask a different question, namely “do I have symptoms of depression”? Do I experience long periods of bad mood? Have I stopped believing in good things? Do I have panic or anxiety attacks?
If you answered all of the questions above positively – most of the chances you have clinical depression. But what can we do with it?
That’s a tricky question, as there’s no one universal approach. Some psychiatrists offer you to start taking pills, while others will try to help finding and removing the causes of depression from your life.
I strongly believe that in order to truly fight the depression, you need to root out the things that cause it. Is it your job? Can it be your family? Is there something else that drives you nuts? Whatever it is, you need to act to put an end to it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying “antidepressants are evil”! There are situations like suicidal depression when those medications are totally necessary! However, I like to compare those drugs with analgesics.
Analgesics will make the pain go away , but you can’t take them forever. It’s like when you have a wounded arm that needs a surgery. You can barely do without a good dose of pain relievers, but it’s up to you to heal the arm so that it won’t hurt anymore!
Once you’ve found and fixed the problems in your life, you will never have to say “Help I’m depressed” again. You will see how quickly your depression will fade, and life will shine with whole new colors. Good luck with that, and remember – there’s always a cause for depression!
