Sharing Time: Doug and His Struggles with Depression

Welcome to another Monday!

This week on the blog, I'd like to share a video with you that I first stumbled upon a couple weeks ago. It's about an Irish gentleman named Doug who has suffered with depression for 10 years, and decided to open up on social media about his experience.

While he doesn't really dive into the specifics of his tale, the feelings he courageously shares should be quite relatable for anyone who has suffered from depression for extended periods of time:

There are some key points that Doug mentions in his video that I want to highlight here:

"Living a completely different life inside"
Doug clarifies that the life he shows his family, friends, and coworkers is not necessarily the same one he believes in his own head. I myself can relate to this so well, as one who has struggled with being forward about my depression. While I actually feel very close with my family, I have frequently isolated myself in my own head and thought I needed to act differently than how I truly felt when I was around them; this also applied to most of my friends at those times. Once I chose to open up to more people about my depressive thoughts, I realized that I had a great support network of people who could not only encourage me, but often also identified with my issues, so there was no reason to be someone I'm not.

"I was alone in my own mind, even though I could never be alone"
Sometimes the feelings of loneliness we have as depressed folk aren't based on just being physically alone. Depression can make you believe you're on your own to face everything, despite being around others who can help. The anxiety of sharing how you feel with loved ones can seem more restrictive than the depression itself, if you're holding back and keeping the pain within. There are people out there who are willing to listen, whether they're people you know or total strangers; seek that out if you're in that time of need!

"You become numb to this feeling [of depression]"
When you get in a rut and depression seems like your normal state of being, you can absolutely become accustomed to the idea that your discontent is just "how things are". You have to shake that thought process and learn to search for what brings you happiness, whether you know what that is yet or not. Personally, I rediscovered a lot of old activities I used to enjoy at times when I was the most depressed: life in general seemed boring so I recalled some things that brought me good vibes in the past, and went from there!

I really appreciate Doug for opening up in such a public format; thank you for furthering the discussion! Also, there are so many out there whose stories resemble Doug's, and I hope anyone reading this who feels that way knows they're valued.

Much Love,
Bryce