Monday, October 8, 2018

About you...

October is Depression Awareness Month.

Full disclosure-I have suffered with depression with all of my adult life.  Before being diagnosed, I just thought I was sad, moody and tired all the time.  Most days were manageable, but some days were impossible.  The sunniest of sunny days could read, dark and hopeless to me.  I simply could not explain the reason for my sadness.  An astute doctor finally recognized my reoccurring symptoms as pieces of an overall problem.  With our brains being our highest functioning organ, it can be the hardest thing to treat.  Talk therapy and the correct anti-depressant keep me quite level.  Well, relatively speaking.  And speaking of relatives, mental health disorders can run in the family.

So how should we be 'aware' of depression?  Well, we can acknowledge that having a brain disorder is akin to having a disorder of any organ-a medical situation that needs to be recognized as such.  You cannot simply 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' or 'get over it.'  It takes patience and self realization to live with it yourself, or someone you care about.

I am lucky to have been treated and feel 'normal' most days. If you or someone you love are experiencing some inconsistencies, find a good doc and get some advice on how to be treated.

Believe me-you won't be sorry.  Life's too short.  XO

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful photo Jodi! Thanks for sharing your experience with depression. I have dealt with this in my life off and on as well.It is important to talk about it so we can correct the situation!Somehow, it feels better knowing you are not alone.

jodi said...

Hi, thank you so much! It's true-it helps to talk and share.