‘Speak to Me Someone’

My friends got me through hard times I am sure. But despite everything they did, it was not a quick fix. I could look back after a slow recovery and see that they always cared, even when they were annoying.
I found that holistically looking at what I was hungering for and trying to satisfy those needs helped gradually. That involved regularly stretching my legs somewhere green, trees, flowers, grass, animals were better for me to be around that the city, with traffic jams, construction sites and grey grey grey.
I thought about my diet. I tried to make sure I was eating healthier but really tasty food.
Eating at the homes of friends where we could laugh and eat was really good for me. It was one of the only times my depression was forgotten for an hour or so.
I needed to be allowed to say a million things that were bothering my mind. I needed to be able to ask why? on so many issues. But I realized that not everyone can cope with that. Not everyone has tasted depression and some people are frightened of it. But some of my friends amazed me. It taught me they had already been through the dark side and come out of it. They made so much sense because they were not frightened by dark gloomy thoughts. They understood them so well, and they were practical, realistic, patient and consistent.

My friend says life can be like sailing. When someone is battered emotionally, it is like they are have been storm damaged, like a shipwreck. So it takes time to rebuild and strengthen from within. For a while it may seem like you have to just drop anchor and cling onto life with all your might. But as you rebuild yourself, hopefully with the help of some good people around, there comes a point where you can heave the anchor up and lift up the sails and head out to sea again.

I don’t know if any of this is making sense. All I know is that something like one third of people will suffer from emotional illness at some point in their lives, and for many that involves a stage where they do not want to wake up in the morning or want to just not exist. But I also know that people who have been through that and recovered can be very helpful. My advice would to be wary about people who say they have been through that and yet they are bouncing around saying do this and it will “cure you”. I don’t believe there are quick fixes when it comes to depression. I think that is more allowing your inner timbers to be fortified and repaired to recover from damage, dry rot and infestations. It takes time. But it is worth it. People who have come through depression can be a huge asset to helping others not be overwhelmed, but show them how they can move forward.

Please forgive me if this is not making sense ❤

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