This blog will discuss a specific young person’s experiences with mental health issues and may include references to diagnosis, treatment, or support. This should not be misinterpreted as specialized or medical advice for a particular situation you may be going through. The topic of experiencing mental health challenges may be difficult for some readers. If you or a loved one is struggling with their mental health, please seek support by accessing the following resources: Child Helpline International; Open Counseling Suicide Hotline Database; United for Global Mental Health
If your country does not have a national helpline please seek professional and community support from trained and experienced carers, especially before making any decisions on treatment.
Ever went to bed hoping today was the last you saw the sunrise and sunset? That you could just sleep and never wake up, because dreams have grown more kind and sweeter than reality? Ever felt you could just pause breathing, you'll continue a decade from now? The simple act of taking in air and letting it out through your nose has become emotionally and physically draining. Ever wished you could just drink and drink till you forget your name or your self, because you don't want to know you exist...You've lost meaning why...
That's depression, the deadliest ailment of our time, leaving the flesh fresh but decaying the soul. It swallows you without exclusion, destroying people without criteria. Its ruthless sword just runs through, with no room for care. It devours all your optimism, leaving the mind a playground of utter hopelessness, such that the only way out that's visible is surrendering it all to the grave. Every day you're in a constant battle with yourself to choose life.
You can have everything going out right in your life, be merry and jovial, and have all the good things the world has to offer, but behind the curtain, your ship is sinking into a never-ending sea of depression. This plague doesn't really need a reason to attack. Yes, those who've walked through the rocky paths of life and trauma are at the most risk, but wherever it finds a plot it builds a shelter, whose is it, and its history, hardly does matter. That's why we find artists and celebrities whom we look up to, bathing in millions, and having stable homes, but still finding themselves victims of depression in the end.
Despite all this, I would, however, like to say, in a room of despair lies hope. Depression is a war that can be won. Some acts of remedy include avoiding music that awakens the worst emotions in oneself, rather than listening to songs that breathe hope and joy. Take a book and scribble down all you feel inside as a way of releasing. Engage in sports and set goals for yourself as a way of giving yourself a purpose in life. And especially, find professional help.
Each and every day, take a walk down the memory line, to remind yourself of the battles won, the courage shown, and how it's still worth it that we make it to the very end. Remember; in a room filled with despair lies hope. Depression is a war that can be won.
