1. How cathartic it is to write. It helps to articulate my thoughts and often when I write just what comes to mind I can follow the string of how one thing leads to another, to another etc....
2. How long I was suffering from depression without really knowing or at least admitting to it.
3. The more I reveal to people what is going on with me, the more I realize how many other people are affected by mental health challenges. They are either dealing with depression themselves, or anxiety, or did at one point, or know someone who is or was. A friend of mine put it this way: It's like there is this club that a lot of people belong to, but no one talks about the club until you say that you are in it also, and then you find out that it is a very popular club. Wouldn't it just be easier to have the club out in the open? This would help the people in the club already and would help those who have recently joined or been forced into the club.
This to me, speaks the importance of removing the stigma of mental health challenges, removing the stigma of taking anti-depressants or other medications, removing the stigma of talking to counsellors, psychologists, psyciatrists etc, remove the stigma of talking about how we feel.
In the spirit of removing the stigma, today is the day I am revealing to people I know that I have this blog and encouraging them to read and be a part of it. This is a risk for me because not everyone knows about the depression, but I am rather tired of hiding and it's time to let people know me, all of me.
Going public in this blog is a great step in your journey! May you find lots of empathy and no stigmatizing. - Diane W.
ReplyDeleteLife is hard enough as it is without trying to carry the whole world on your back. Instead, put it on somebody else's back for awhile. Don't be afraid to say, "Can you hold this for a minute?" Then go for a walk or a bath or a long holiday. Heck, maybe don't ever come back.
ReplyDeleteRob, I like how you think.
ReplyDeleteThe real trick, Danielle, is to offer up your burden in a crowded C-train during the afternoon rush. People are tired. Some guy's bound to say, "yes," thinking you're going to give him your phone number or something. They hold doors open for you, don't they? Smile. Say, "thank you." Then get off at the next stop.
ReplyDelete