I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family there would be not one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or be better it appears to me."
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, who suffered from depression most of his adult life.
Ahh, depression. The most talked about, most frequently diagnosed, most pervasive malady in modern day society. We are inundated with massive amounts of information, huge amounts of responsibility, tremendous pressure to achieve more, make more money, look better, be thinner, more healthy...Our failures are discussed on national TV, our differences discussed on talk radio, the threat of terrorist action and nuclear war is ever looming nearer, global warming, hurricanes, holy wars...Whoa! Who else needs a drink?
It may sound like I'm making light of all of the above, but I’m not. I struggled with severe depression for most of my life. Just being treated for depression was a very hard and stressful time for me. I was raised to believe that "mental problems" were a sign of weakness and not something we discussed. We were taught that if we pushed hard enough and beat ourselves long enough, we would be miraculously cured. I come from a long line of strong, proud and, alas, miserable people.
If you are struggling with depression, don't pretend you aren't. So much of this miserable disorder is hidden behind substance abuse, eating disorders, self destructive behaviors, etc. etc.... Just admitting that I had a problem I could not fix on my own was probably the most important step I could have taken. There are those that believe it is "all in your head", no pun intended, but as someone who has learned to manage depression, I offer this advice: It's not all in your head... Get help.
The feeling of disconnection and feeling somehow "defective" is common among depressed people. Wishing you felt better will not make it happen. Getting help will. Talk to people who care about you. Talk to a doctor if necessary. Find what works and DO IT.
You are not alone.
In my own depression, I was so filled with negative thought patterns that I could not seem to get on top of things. Each failure, each flaw I saw in myself was expounded upon, dissected, reenacted and I always came up short. The weird thing about it was that I was doing it to myself! Don’t get me wrong, there are always people who will point out any flaw in you that they find, but the worst damage was always done to me by - me.
Forgiving yourself and accepting yourself as you are, as an individual, as someone who has , with weaknesses and strengths, but altogether lovability goes a long way in chasing the darkness away.
Get out that “bucket list” and keep adding to it.
If you haven't done so already, I strongly encourage you to do it now. I also strongly encourage you to connect with people who understand where you are and to share your experiences, both the ups and downs.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10.
If you struggle with depression, email us at:
depression@thebutterflypoem.org
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, who suffered from depression most of his adult life.
Ahh, depression. The most talked about, most frequently diagnosed, most pervasive malady in modern day society. We are inundated with massive amounts of information, huge amounts of responsibility, tremendous pressure to achieve more, make more money, look better, be thinner, more healthy...Our failures are discussed on national TV, our differences discussed on talk radio, the threat of terrorist action and nuclear war is ever looming nearer, global warming, hurricanes, holy wars...Whoa! Who else needs a drink?
It may sound like I'm making light of all of the above, but I’m not. I struggled with severe depression for most of my life. Just being treated for depression was a very hard and stressful time for me. I was raised to believe that "mental problems" were a sign of weakness and not something we discussed. We were taught that if we pushed hard enough and beat ourselves long enough, we would be miraculously cured. I come from a long line of strong, proud and, alas, miserable people.
If you are struggling with depression, don't pretend you aren't. So much of this miserable disorder is hidden behind substance abuse, eating disorders, self destructive behaviors, etc. etc.... Just admitting that I had a problem I could not fix on my own was probably the most important step I could have taken. There are those that believe it is "all in your head", no pun intended, but as someone who has learned to manage depression, I offer this advice: It's not all in your head... Get help.
The feeling of disconnection and feeling somehow "defective" is common among depressed people. Wishing you felt better will not make it happen. Getting help will. Talk to people who care about you. Talk to a doctor if necessary. Find what works and DO IT.
You are not alone.
In my own depression, I was so filled with negative thought patterns that I could not seem to get on top of things. Each failure, each flaw I saw in myself was expounded upon, dissected, reenacted and I always came up short. The weird thing about it was that I was doing it to myself! Don’t get me wrong, there are always people who will point out any flaw in you that they find, but the worst damage was always done to me by - me.
Forgiving yourself and accepting yourself as you are, as an individual, as someone who has , with weaknesses and strengths, but altogether lovability goes a long way in chasing the darkness away.
Get out that “bucket list” and keep adding to it.
If you haven't done so already, I strongly encourage you to do it now. I also strongly encourage you to connect with people who understand where you are and to share your experiences, both the ups and downs.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10.
If you struggle with depression, email us at:
depression@thebutterflypoem.org
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