Personal Demons 1: Depression

And thus begins my foray into a few posts detailing how best it is to fight the unseen terrors that often plague our own lives.

You cannot begin to help others before you have helped yourself. Often, we neglect this, and go for the immediate gain of rushing to the safety of others. It is part of all of our psychoses I think, but we really must take better care of ourselves.

I will be detailing in the next few installments ways in which we can fight the everyday problems. They are not crime, or supervillains; they are the normal, everyday issues everyone must deal with.

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The Blues and You
Depression takes many different forms, and can be as subtle as just feeling off and a little down to as drastic as being catatonic and feeling suicidal. I first wish to say that if you are indeed in the later group, death brought early upon each on of us is a tragedy. No one is a waste of life, no matter how worthless and troubled you may feel.

Speaking from personal experience, there do come times in your life when you will believe that there is no cause for you. People worry about what others think, but it is often ourselves who are the worst critics of our character. We all have those moments of crushing self-doubt and hate. It is a natural response. The important thing to remember is that you are loved, and you do have a great importance on the lives of those around you, most likely that you will never truly be able to comprehend.

When depressed, we most often seek the comfort of ourselves, and try to retreat from the common things we used to enjoy. This may be by our own volition, or just by the sheer fact that we do not enjoy them anymore. Depression can be brought about by any series of hardships, or it can be brought swiftly and for no apparent cause.

It is imperative that you do not give into these feelings of worthlessness.

Depression affects your productivity, your will to be active. Your eating and habits and interests will be affected. These are also the things which will ultimately help you to overcome this terrible drought of character.

Solutions and Self Help
I will recommend first and foremost that if you are again feeling suicidal, you contact help. Your doctor, your friends, your family, anyone you can trust and love. Suicidal thoughts consume us in our worst times because we desire to give in and end the temporary pain we feel. But that quick out will never be worth it to you. You are loved.

Suicidal depression is difficult to overcome, but one of the best ways to deal with it, along with any sort of depression, is to talk and make it known. There is social stigma about it, but do not care what others will think. This is about you, and the good it will do to have others close to you reassure you of your place in life and the world is the best medicine you can ever have.

Physical activity of any sort will also help. When the body gets lazy, so does the mind, and it is left to wander and wonder as to its worth. Keep an active life to counteract the depression. Working out, focused studying, doing activities you love with friends; these are simple interactions that will stimulate your body into producing the necessary chemicals to fight those thoughts of self hate.

A healthy diet and good sleep are a must, and are also some of the most undervalued aids in fighting this particular inner demon. The body is an fantastic creation, and the balance of its internal workings should be handled with utmost care, especially when the mind is so saddened. Keeping your body healthy will keep your mind healthy, and allow you to think right about your purpose and situation.

The Result
For many, depression is a short term thing. The result of an ended relationship, a lost loved one, or some other grievance. For others, it is a longer battle, which has its root in deep problems which may or may not have any actual explanation.

The thing to remember is this: just because you think it is bad, does not mean it actually is.

When in a depressed state, the thing that has always helped me most is keep this state of mind, to tell myself that despite the apparent horror of the current situation, it is not as bad as it may seem. And who knows? It may actually be as bad as you think it is, but that is still no reason to indulge in the self-deprecation of that realization.

We are all here to be better. If our situation, our life, our world is not good enough, we do have the power to make it better. Change can be a powerful force for good. Knowing how to use it for yourself and your own depression will be the difference between life and death sometimes.

It is all ultimately about being better, as this always will be. Depression is like any other demon: fight with your spirit and activity and you will defeat it. And that is something truly heroic.

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I challenge those who have read this to be bold and post in the comments about something they may feel let down or saddened about. We all have issues in the world. It is that common bond of help and understanding which allows us to overcome.