You Are Not Alone
“If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time,” Sylvia Plath wrote in The Bell Jar, “then I’m neurotic as hell.” Through these words, we might get an insight into the world of the depressed. Many depressed people find themselves oscillating amid either/or rather than finding contentment in the blessings of life. Taking the ‘Conquering Depression’ series of The BlogAdda Weekly forward from our previous episode Turbulent Minds, this time we focus our gaze on those who suffered and yet did not lose in the one-(wo)man battle against depression. So for those of us who are looking out for their knight in shining armour to save them from darkness, here are some inspiring survival stories of known achievers with depression, which we hope will become beacons of light and hope for those in need.
Mike Tyson opened up to the media, admitting he has always been a victim of self-loathing. There are innumerable quotes of Angelina Jolie struggling with anxiety through her childhood, and falling into a deep emotional trench after the death of her mother. If we dig in, there are many inspiring stories of masked and hidden pain being won over bravely.
Stephen Hawking in one of his lectures gave hope to all those battling against depression, convinced that there is no dawn to their dark night.
Ellen Degeneres also went into spells of depression after being ostracized for coming out as a lesbian. About her gloomy days, this is what the now top rated anchor has to say.
J.K Rowling overcame her days of endless despair and found strength in her daughter, finding her share of solace in writing the Harry Potter series, which went on to become one of the biggest franchises in the publishing and movie business.
Those Who Fought
Dazzled by onscreen perfection, one might assume that someone in the public eye can be completely untouched by depression. Yet, once the curtains come down, loneliness, excessive struggle to stay relevant and every move being scrutinized by people takes many minds in a downward spiral.
Standing at the peak of her career, Deepika opened up about her days of depression, which she suffered from after her break up with actor Ranbir Kapoor and keeping up a brave front for the world for a long time. Struggling to wake up every single day, every day was a roller coaster of feelings and emotions for her. Today, we find that she is not only recovered and one of the top actresses in the industry, she is also helping other people deal with the illness through her Live, Laugh, Love Foundation. What makes her victory special is her acceptance of the fact that she needed help. Therapy, along with her parents’ support and medication helped her bounce back with renewed vigour.
Even when the pain looked impossible to overcome, faith and will to seek help made her come back to life once again. Is ending your life a solution? Not at all. Deepika’s instance proves that the soul can eventually win over the shadows of despair that can haunt you anytime of your life, even when it is tempting and easier to just give in and drown in the inky waters of depression. The ones who open up their minds to let the light enter, are the ones who live through and breathe life.
The two core symptoms of depression are low mood and inability to enjoy anything. These symptoms need to be pervasive and need to be present consistently for 2 weeks for it to be called depression. Sadly, the meaning of the word has changed in modern world and it is used a bit loosely. some of the symptoms that people around may note may be – the person not engaging in conversation i.e. remaining aloof, irritability, easily emotional and crying spells. The symptoms spectrum is large and need to consider previous functioning of the person.
–Dr. Vipul Rastogi, Consultant – Neuropsychiatry, Medanta
The bubbly and chirpy ‘Rachel’ from Friends hid her inner pain for years. Struggling with dyslexia in her 20’s, anxiety never left her side through fame. As if that was not enough, the limelight that was a part of her job became a trigger that unleashed her inner demons, plaguing her life. Years ago, the whole world watched her perfect marriage fall apart, leaving her devastated with daily feeds of hurtful headlines and vicious stories. The whole episode was too much to recover from for Jennifer Aniston, as there was no escaping the dissection of her personal life across tabloids and seeing pictures of her ex-husband with his new partner Angelina Jolie.
It was only last year that she opened up about her dark days in one of her media interviews. Jennifer, not ready to succumb to depressive tendencies, sought therapy twice. Through her sessions, she not only conquered depression but also discovered her true self. It helped her clean up the noise and took her to the road to inner enlightenment. By simply reminding yourself that you’re not alone, you can open doors that lead you on a road to acceptance, ushering in peace.
What made all of them strong enough to win over their inner demons? While many of us are battling the same way and might relate to a lot of what they said, their tales of victory definitely light a warm fireplace in our hearts to soothe the chilling days of depression. When days seem to be bleak and dark, there is a lot that family and friends can offer.
Many patients cover their feelings and manage their jobs and social responsibility — but in severe depression, the effect is visible. Many patients spend their time pursuing doctors and tests to find a cause for their physical complaints.
–Dr. Vasant Mundra, Psychiatrist
What Can You Do About It?
For those who have been always been stalked by this unwanted and daunting companion, talking and coming to terms with the truth of ‘being depressed’ is in itself a big milestone, after which familial support and medical help can take them out of the dark wells of their mind.
Today, we discuss what you can do as a strong mind to get the sunshine back into your days. As much difficult as it may seem, believe that you can conquer the dungeon of depression.
- Speak Up: It is always helpful to share your thoughts with your friends and relatives. Hanging out with positive people or venting out the negatives haunting your brain to your loved ones will be helpful.
- Keep a happy diet rich in Omega 3 and kick your caffeine habit.
- Meditation helps you calm down your mind storms and is the best way to tackle everyday stress.
- Create and stick to a routine and include physical exercise in it.
- See a therapist: Seeing a therapist comes with a whole lot of negative connotations in society, but you need to remember that it’s your fight. Counselling and medical help can change the chemical imbalances in your brain that might be the cause of stress and deep anxiety.
Fighting depression might seem like a lonely war, but now it is time that we wage this war against depression as a united force, considering the number of victims it claims in a year. You are no more alone in this, know that there are many suffering the wrath of their inner voices. All you need to do is look around for those on the same road as you and take inspiration from their battles to find your light. You have the choice of making this day filled with inspiring stories THE moment when you decided to change the route of your life. From here, make sure that you take the road to laughter and smiles, and leave the lonely and scary lanes behind you. If you can’t find it in you to fight any more, extend your hand for help and support, and you will find that you have 10 hands willing to hold you and guide you. We at BlogAdda are ever willing to lend a listening ear to anyone who needs to talk. Drop us an email at contact@blogadda.com or connect with us on Facebook messages if you wish to have a friend in your battle.
Have you or someone around you come back from their inner battles? If yes, share with us your victory and illuminate the path for our readers. We will be back next week with our next episode, “Pillars to Life – Family and Friends“, and tell you the importance of the constant support of friends and family in conquering depression.
Am so glad blogadda u took up this initiative. I have battled depression and I feel good seeing such initiatives been taken .