Something I have thought a lot about in the past year is how many people struggle with this just by virtue of being born. Depression or anxiety or OCD or other mood disorders can come as a result of choices or drugs or babies or whatever, but it can also just be built in and many, many people confront it--or don't confront it. I read somewhere that "Mental illness is all in your head like diabetes is all in your pancreas." Right? And--of course it's in your head. Your whole life is in your head. There's no way that something being "all in your head" can discount its worth, since your head is the most important part of your body. I loved this blog post that my cousin posted on Facebook a while back: Adventures in Depression. So funny and so painful at the same time. Read it!
Imagine copyright Hyperbole and a Half
As is usually the case when I post super personal stuff, I got a little woozy thinking about how much of my navel-gazing is now out there for all to see. So I decided that I'm going to delete the rest of the series about postpartum depression, at least for now. I know about caching and RSS and everything but at least it won't be quite so public anymore. I did put it out there into the universe for a few days, which is what I wanted to do.
And tomorrow you have a brand-new Friday Photo to look forward to. I sure am. Looking forward to it, that is.
6 comments:
I believe that you may have helped someone more than you know. And that is worth something.
i thought your doctor's words were very wise and i think you were very wise to follow his advice.
the beauty of our trials is they help us become stronger people and they help us become more compassionate. but lots of times i think that's where the beauty ends, because a lot of times our trials just stink. :-)
I so completely understand your feelings about revealing so much personal stuff (the difference being that my posts that I regret for revealing too much are just basically weird or perhaps offensive or too political, not meaningful and serious like yours), but (ANYWAY!) I am so glad you did. You helped me. The things you wrote about apply beyond clinic depression or postpartum depression, and it was all so wise and insightful. Life's too short, right? And these years with our very young kids even shorter. We need all the wisdom and help and strength and understanding we can get. I got a lot here the last few days.
It's good to put it all out there and sometimes it's good to take it away. Just getting the words out of our brains is often the most therapeutic thing we can do.
And I like your point about depression/mood issues not always being tied to an event or events (like childbirth. Everything does not always come with an explanation and sometimes that is the hardest part to accept.
Thank you for expressing this stuff so effectively. So difficult to talk about, perhaps. But also helpful for the giver and the receiver. I am proud and privileged to be your dad.
I think taking the time to express yourself is very good for the soul, yet very difficult. I am grateful you decided to share this, if only for a short time, because it allows the rest of us to relate, reach out, and comfort one another. Just yesterday I was talking with a new friend (can you believe that?!) from church who said something like, "It's funny that when we are suffering spiritually, we expect people to read our minds, because we are not comfortable telling others about our all our experiences. It is easier for others to see and help us through our physical suffering." You took a big step. Good job and thank you.
Now, when can we plant those flowers!
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