Depression sucks. It sucks the zest of life right out of you. Every day is a struggle. I may not be suicidal but I pretty much contemplate the removal of my existence from this world daily.
Have you ever thought to yourself, if I could just go away, be done, disappear… that would be better. Better than this constant feeling of anguish, anxiety and overall sadness.
Those are my same thoughts. You and I…. are not alone.
But I don’t want this to be just another post on what it’s like to live with depression. I think there are plenty of stories out there. I doubt mine is all that unique.
Let’s talk about what you can do to help you live with depression.
There are two simple methods to help you live with depression. Don’t get me wrong here. I know they are simple to say and much more difficult to put into practice when you are actively battling major depression. If anybody knows that it’s me. Just give it a shot anyway. What do you have to lose right?
What are my two methods for Living with Depression?
Hope and Work.
Hang on to Hope. No matter how little of a sliver it is, hang on to that little piece of hope that tells you this can’t possibly last forever can it? Hang onto hope that eventually you’ll be okay. Even ‘okay’ is better than this darkness right?
Keep doing the Work. What’s the “work”?
- Journaling or free writing.
- Seeing your therapist.
- Staying connected with other humans no matter how painful.
- Eating a healthy meal.
- Taking care of your hygiene, taking a hot shower, brushing your teeth.
- Going for a walk outside.
- Using your happy light if it helps.
- Keep taking your medication if you are on some.
- Consider taking anti-depressants if you are not on any now.
- Helping somebody else out with something.
- Petting your cat if you have one.
- Petting your dog if you have one. Their unconditional love might bring a little joy to you.
- Hanging out with someone that will just let you be where you are without complaint.
I’m sure there’s other things we can do that will fall into the category of ‘doing the work’. If you have something to add, please let me know in the comments below.
I’ve been told that there’s a reason for everything. In my world today I feel many doors getting shut on me. I’m hanging on to hope that a new door will be opening soon. I’m hoping that door leads to a little more light, more joy and more genuine laughter.
There’s a reason I still exist. Someday I’ll be able to put my finger on that exact reason. There’s got to be something more than just existing in order to keep from hurting others that seem to actually like my existence. Imagine that… I do have some people in my life that care and want to see me happy. If I keep doing the work, my hope is that I’ll hit that mark of genuine happiness. It would be great if I could hit that mark. Not only would I be happy but I would feel better knowing that those that actually give a shit about me would feel happiness for me too.
How am I going to hit that mark of genuine happiness?
Hang on to hope and keep doing the work. Eventually I’ll get there and it would be cool to see you there too.