Depression is a funny thing
(Not really ‘funny’, but, you know what I mean)-
it’s a strange one.
The whole nature VS nurture thing…
Is it something you’re born with-
genetic/inherited
Is it learned behaviour-
triggered by external factors
or
Is it a combination of the two?
Of course, as is the case with any mental illness, the causes vary so much from person-to-person
on a case by case basis.
My take on the cause(s) of my own Depression, though,
that it is, undoubtedly, a combination of the two-
family history of mental illness- nature,
certain childhood experiences and struggles with my identity/coming to terms with who I am- nurture.
Whatever the causes though, I know that Depression is something which I will always have.
I know this because, I have been taking anti-depressants for 5 years now, but, the feelings of numbness are still there.
If I could change my life to not have Depression though, you know what? I don’t think I would.
As my running coach used to say if we had a bad race;
‘You’ve got to have the bad ones to appreciate the good ones…’
The same sentiment applies to our feelings, too, I believe;
If I didn’t experience periods of Depression, then I wouldn’t experience the ‘highs’ of coming out of that,
the highs characterised by increased creativity,
increased hope,
and, of course,
increased happiness.
And so, I don’t think that you can ‘cure’ Depression, no.
There is no cure for the condition of having a brain.
But, I do think that you can learn to live
(and even, thrive)
with it,
using it to your advantage,
recycling your pain
and using it for something good.
That is what I am hoping to do, anyway,
to prove to people, through my writing, that there is light at the end of the tunnel…
&,
to prove to people that, no matter how dark it seems when you’re stuck in the middle of it, unable to see a way out-
there is always a way out-
so long as you just keep heading towards the light-
always.
<3
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