Life has been hard lately
So I have been laid off twice in the last year and I kept my head high, I rolled with the punches and pivoted into new positions resetting the depression clock. This last couple of months I have dealt with death in my family, starting a new business, moving into a new house, being offered a job half way across the country, my music career going up and down and a lack of friends to lean on.
The strange thing is that I have been depressed in the best moments of all of this, which is totally out of character for me. I used to tell people depression was something they chose to go through, and that your mental attitude and outlook on life sets the tone for your experiences. I have found my own advice to be incorrect recently and I wish I could offer an apology to all those that expressed their frustration with their emotions and I didn't take them seriously.
I have found myself getting into positive situations and walking away still contemplating whether or not I enjoy life anymore. To back up a second, I have all kinds of things I could be happy about.
- I'm a great musician and seem to do well with it.
- I have high self-esteem and think highly of myself and feel that I have a purpose.
- I have a ton of interests to keep me busy and my mind in the right place, like video games, music, diy projects, my fiance.
- I just moved into a beautiful house and can afford to pay my bills
- I have started my own company and everything seems to be working in my favor.
So why do I still feel depressed?
I guess theres no real explination for it, it has to be a chemical reaction to things I eat, how much sleep I get, how supportive people are around me reducing stress levels, and what I think about throughout the day.
If this is the case I feel like my depression should be easy to solve without the need for pills or therapy. I don't really have a lot of people to talk to that would actually take interest in a grown man having emotional issues.
So why does it work this way? Why in America in 2017 is there such a stigma behind men discussing their problems and being taken seriously. It's the only thing that holds me back from being open about what I go through, my friends probably don't want to hear it and society reaffirms that.
Over the next week I will be changing what I eat, when I sleep, and what I feed my mind everyday in a effort to make change. I will document it next week and we will see if I can control happiness.
There's nothing wrong with men discussing their problems! Everyone should have the right to do that!
I like your post, and I totally feel you.
One thing that has really really helped me when I was going through a hard time was, every single morning I would write on a paper, or in my notebook 3 things I am grateful for. And every morning I would try my best not to repeat what I wrote.. and the result is incredible.
I realized I had so many blessings and I slowly started becoming happier!
Some examples include:
follow me @raisinbran , sometimes I share my life through poems I write :)
You're awesome , and I'm totally going to start doing that. I'm going to include it as my alarm message as reminder to do it as soon as I get up in the morning, before I can think of anything else.
thank you! I followed you :)
yes I recommend doing it in the morning because it sets up your mentality for the rest of the day.
and if you're stressed out, I say hit the gym 3 times a week (start by once a week so you don't get overwhelmed). Exercising releases happy hormones in the body and improves the mood vastly.
Hang in thar
I strongly suggest a therapist and not because I buy all the psycho babble they purport, but sometimes it just helps to have someone else "Listen" to you. I agree the social stigmas are completely annoying...but that's why I vent on Steemit! Looking forward to your progress.