Today is national suicide prevention day. Where suicide is discussed along with possible strategies to help people who might be contemplating ending their lives.<\/p>\n
I can tell you that when one has depression, it can be hard to explain why what one person did that helped them is not particularly helpful in this case. <\/p>\n
We have bookshelves in libraries and bookstores with self-help books on how to feel happy\/better\/at peace. And for some people these give them the tools that they need to help themselves so they feel better. I applaud those people for finding what works for them and publish it trying to help others. Some of it can sound like snake-oil but if it stops someone from killing themselves then it is useful.<\/p>\n
I remember years ago I told someone about the fact that I got the Winter Blues, now know as Seasonal Affected Disorder, and they said to me, \u201cHave you tried not feeling depressed?\u201d then went on a lecture of it all being in my head and with the power of positive thinking I could over come my \u2018sad\u2019 feeling. This is when positive thinking was the stock answer for anything that went wrong in one\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
I listened and nodded at the right spots then got the hëll away from that person.<\/p>\n
Depression is not a switch you can turn off and on at will. Depression is not an inconvenience that you can just put aside so you can get things done. <\/p>\n
There are times that I am depressed and it makes no sense if you look at it from the outside. Things are going my way. I have a good life. There is so much I am blessed with. The list goes on and on and I have heard this before.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s depression. There is no rhyme or reason to it. <\/p>\n
When there is a reason people are more sympathetic with your situation. And that is situational depression where you can point to the reason you are not happy. <\/p>\n
But I have depression that I can see the roots of but it makes no sense why I cannot just snap out of it. I can see what I have but I really don\u2019t care at that point. I have to push to get up and get dressed and pay attention to hygiene and the dishes and food choices\u2026the list feels endless.<\/p>\n
It is here that chemistry comes into play. My brain is not making the connections needed and anti-depressants can bring me back to the middle so I can deal with the world around me. Better living through chemistry as one of my friends says.<\/p>\n
Also by this point I have a mental tool box that I use when I recognize that I am going down into that dark hole. I can usually bring myself back to functioning adult. Again what works for me might not work for someone else. This is how I deal with my brain.<\/p>\n
I put these out there in hopes that it will be the thing that turns it around for someone.<\/p>\n
I am grateful for those things I have learned that help me out of the pit of despair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today is national suicide prevention day. Where suicide is discussed along with possible strategies to help people who might be contemplating ending their lives. I can tell you that when one has depression, it can be hard to explain why what one person did that helped them is not particularly helpful in this case. We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t