Good Ol' Depression

Where to start with depression… 

During my internships I had the chance to work with many great individuals who struggled with depression. I saw that depression was hijacking people’s lives and effecting their relationships, their jobs, and even worst their health. I saw depression telling my clients to kill themselves because their worthless. It makes my heart sink to my stomach when I hear this, but that’s how real depression can be for some people. 

When a client shares with me that their battling with depression, I have them give it a name. My favorite one is “Jiminy Cricket” because of the irony in his role in the Disney movie Pinocchio. Jiminy Crickets sings a song to Pinocchio “always let your conscience be your guide.” … I’ve digressed, that will be a for another time. 

However, giving depression a name allows you to externalize what your experiencing. It gives you a handle to be able to recognize when you’re feeling depressed and this can look different for everybody.  

For example, I call my depression “sadness” and there are times where “sadness” pops up while I’m surrounded by the people I love most. It finds its way to come into your day to day life, even for just a moment. I’ve spent my share of time working on my sadness. I can proudly say now, I’ve developed the skills to have a healthier relationship with my depression. This may sound odd, bear with me…

Depression isn’t something that will go away forever, it will always be a part of you. It’s about taking back the power from depression. It’s OK to sit and be sad, but how much of your time are you willing to give it? How much of yourself are willing to give away to depression? It’s about building a healthy relationship with that part of you and there is nothing wrong with it! 

Depression sucks, but it’s there to teach us something… just like a bad breakup. You can get through it. However, just like I tell ALL my clients-- you must be willing to do the work!