Beautiful Trauma: Find A Way

Part. 3

"We’re all mental because we live in our heads, having good mental health is more than just the absence of a mental health issue. Everything we are and how we are we carry around in our craniums."

More and more people know (of) someone who has committed suicide.

When I was around 12-15 years old I'm feeling completely alone, out of place, too different to ever fit in or be accepted by anyone. I was at that crossroads sitting at that beach thinking that I should just head in, swim out and keep swimming forever. I loved the beach, the sea, I still do. So it wouldn't that bad a place to spend the last and forever. More than once I fould myself there for hours, just staring in the distance trying to muster the courage.

I found myself a coward and went home every single time or was it hope? Perhaps then it felt like cowardice but looking back, I think it was hope because there were people who did care and whom I could have a laugh with depression is a bitch though.

It's really difficult to find ways to see potential and hope, as I said I didn't see it as something tangible back then but looking back I think it was a spark and I was very lucky to have that spark and so many others don't. That's not because they are lacking or weaker, it's not because they are at fault. It's just the hold of the depression being tighter more severe.

Sometimes it doesn't matter how many people say they love you, they care about you, that they like you just as you are but just in case, on this part three, I just want to try and light that spark in others every day. It's not your or their fault if it doesn't catch but in the moments that it does, it can make all the difference.

“Be kind, reach out, make sure people can, know they can always come to you in their times of greatest need that there’s no judgement.”

• tell them you like people
• tell people you think they’re funny, kind, smart, loving, caring and that you enjoy spending time with them
• tell and show people that they are an important part of your life and really
• tell them explicitly
• tell them you value them and appreciate them and their company

It might not make the difference, but it also might just and that's all we can do to fight depression together.

My story is my own, but the themes are universal. Life is a universal mental experience, it’s often batshit and as someone once said it’s “a bit like a maze in which you try to avoid the exit.”

I hope that in the DNA of the story I’ve woven, you too will come to the same conclusion: "shit happens, but it doesn’t have to define us we’re not broken."

I’m no Yoda, but there’s a thing or two I’ve realised along my way. Never ask someone what’s wrong with them, they’re not wrong or incorrect. Ask them what happened to them instead, the answer you get will likely be a truth first spoken.

Never ever joke about someone's mental health because some of these people are hanging by a thread, one joke and its done for them.

"Depression sucks, but I will overcome It."

As some of you probably know by now, I've been suffering from depression for a while now. While I haven't really made it clear outright, the past few years have clearly taken a toll on my mental health for several reasons.

It has affected my relationships, my work, my life in general really. I wanted to get into more detail about it to give more context while also giving you all the reassurance that, despite it I'll be ok. I'm not in such a state that I'm going to give up on life or stop doing what I love or whatnot, I'm not going anywhere. That being said, it hasn't been easy.

I'm pretty certain the breaking point of my mental stability was one of my family member death a couple years ago, that event messed me up more so than I care to admit. Ever since then, I've struggled to do much of anything. My motivation has taken a complete nosedive.

I've taken a rather nihilistic view of the world, I just want to lie in bed and do nothing most of the time nowadays which I can't do because life isn't gonna wait for me. One of my family membet death also took a serious toll on my family as a whole and I can't say that it hasn't caused us to drift apart quite extensively, I'm ashamed to admit it but it has become difficult for me to interact with my parents because of it.

My friends have also expressed concern for me and I admittedly hate that, I don't hate that they're worried. I hate that I'm making them worry. I know I can't stop them from worrying but the fact that I am making them worry makes me feel even worse, some friendships have also become irreparably damaged over the past few years for reasons related and unrelated that I won't get into.

FOUR WAYS TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

1. LEARN TO SAY NO
 — Set Boundaries
 — Rest and recharge
 — Engage in activities that make you truly feel good

2. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY
 — Eat nutritious meal
 — Exercise
 — Drink plenty of water
 — Get enough sleep

3. QUIET YOUR MIND
 — Relaxation exercises and prayer can improve your state of mind
 — Enhance your outlook on life
 — Feel calm

4. APPEAL TO YOUR SENSES
 — Listen to an uplifting song
 — Squeeze a stress ball
 — Go for a walk

“How do you take care of your mental health?”