STILL A TABOO
DEPRESSION!
Depression is still a huge taboo in our society – unfortunately!
So many people suffer from depression and do not dare to seek help out of shame and for fear of being stigmatized as weak. I am writing about this today because there is and has been a rise in anxiety and fear all around us, especially in the past two years.
Even the WHO (not that I care much about what they say anymore) has acknowledged that there has been a global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%. I believe that this number doesn’t even begin to tell the true story and that the unreported cases would most likely double or even triple that number.
Everyone was and is affected by the lockdowns, the constant propaganda of fear in the mainstream media, the uncertainties, the loss of jobs and perspective, and most of all the loss of civil rights and dignity in one way or the other. Some simply become more and more aggressive and others fall into depression as it becomes too much to bear.
So especially in the current time in which we are forced to be more and more asocial, in which we isolate ourselves and have to keep more and more distance to others, more people suffer from this insidious illness with sometimes terrible consequences.
What is the worst punishment for people who are imprisoned? The answer is simple, it is isolation. The deprivation or even reduction of social contact is torture. We are not designed to be alone. What we have been and still are experiencing right now worldwide is mass torture, by people being estranged from one another and being isolated. This form of loneliness is one of the worst a human being can experience and the consequences resulting from it are severe. Depression, despondency, and anxiety are the result.
And every time you think things are getting better, the governments of the world come up with something new to keep the people in check and further condition them. It's a bit like holding a carrot in front of a donkey's nose to make it walk, and every time it's about to grab the carrot, it's pulled away. Us donkeys are being mocked!
Masks have become the absolute norm in everyday life for most - something I will never understand. Even after two years, it happens to me that I leave the house without this disgusting rag. I refuse to consider something so degrading as normal. I can't understand why many people consider it a small thing to be forbidden to show one's face, to breathe freely, and to live self-determined. Yes, it takes away people's identity to a certain extent and it is harmful to health - physically and psychologically, especially for our children.
"Depression occurs when one looks back with no pride, and looks forward with no hope." — Robert Frost
Many years ago I was diagnosed with Burn Out, and I resist this expression because it trivializes a serious illness to make it socially more acceptable. I had an exhaustion depression. Even though it was almost 10 years ago, it’s still not easy to talk about – not because I’m ashamed. What makes this illness so insidious is that nobody can see you are actually ill. Especially during that time, I was often told how good and bright I look. You can see a broken leg, you can even see when someone has a cold, but depression is an illness of a terribly wounded soul – and you cannot see it on the outside. You are easily stigmatized as not resilient, too sensitive, even crazy, difficult, or whatever…
At that time I was very lucky to have had a wonderful and very patient family doctor who did not push me. It is so important to encourage affected people that it is nothing to be ashamed of and above all that it is something that most certainly can be cured.
"Depression is being colorblind and constantly told how colorful the world is." — Atticus
As with all illnesses, it is so incredibly important to admit that you are indeed ill and need help to get out of your depression. Very few people make it on their own. However, there is still a stigma attached to this diagnosis, this illness, which causes many people not to seek help and stay in the closet. In the worst case, this can lead to someone ending their life. Just in the past two years, I have lost four people close to me to suicide. If you are not sure if you or someone you care for is affected, here are some of the symptoms to look out for that may be an indication.
Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day, and may include:
Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness, or hopelessness
Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies, or sports
Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
Anxiety, agitation, or restlessness
Slowed thinking, speaking, or body movements
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things
Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, or suicide
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities, or relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.
"Maybe we all have darkness inside of us and some of us are better at dealing with it than others." — Jasmine Warga
If you are affected, please do not hesitate to seek help. If you do not want to confide in anyone you know, but you feel the need to talk to someone then one option is to contact the suicide hotline of your country and know that you are not alone. There is always someone who cares for you and will show you ways to get out of this crisis.
If you would like to connect with me, find out more about the Enneagram and yourself, how it can transform you and your life, I would be happy to take the time for a speed coaching call that you can reserve right here go to my website or simply hit reply and get in touch with me directly.
🎶My Song of the Week
Sometimes a song can save lives… The title of this song is the suicide hotline in the US and when this song was released the suicide rate went down significantly. And the video is really worth watching!
📚My Poem of the Week
Is one that was brought to my attention by one of my readers and I knew I had to share it with you. It is one by the British poet Philip Larkin (1922–1985)
Aubade
I work all day, and get half-drunk at night.
Waking at four to soundless dark, I stare.
In time the curtain-edges will grow light.
Till then I see what's really always there:
Unresting death, a whole day nearer now,
Making all thought impossible but how
And where and when I shall myself die.
Arid interrogation: yet the dread
Of dying, and being dead,
Flashes afresh to hold and horrify.
The mind blanks at the glare. Not in remorse
- The good not done, the love not given, time
Torn off unused - nor wretchedly because
An only life can take so long to climb
Clear of its wrong beginnings, and may never;
But at the total emptiness for ever,
The sure extinction that we travel to
And shall be lost in always. Not to be here,
Not to be anywhere,
And soon; nothing more terrible, nothing more true.
This is a special way of being afraid
No trick dispels. Religion used to try,
That vast, moth-eaten musical brocade
Created to pretend we never die,
And specious stuff that says No rational being
Can fear a thing it will not feel, not seeing
That this is what we fear - no sight, no sound,
No touch or taste or smell, nothing to think with,
Nothing to love or link with,
The anasthetic from which none come round.
And so it stays just on the edge of vision,
A small, unfocused blur, a standing chill
That slows each impulse down to indecision.
Most things may never happen: this one will,
And realisation of it rages out
In furnace-fear when we are caught without
People or drink. Courage is no good:
It means not scaring others. Being brave
Lets no one off the grave.
Death is no different whined at than withstood.
Slowly light strengthens, and the room takes shape.
It stands plain as a wardrobe, what we know,
Have always known, know that we can't escape,
Yet can't accept. One side will have to go.
Meanwhile telephones crouch, getting ready to ring
In locked-up offices, and all the uncaring
Intricate rented world begins to rouse.
The sky is white as clay, with no sun.
Work has to be done.
Postmen like doctors go from house to house.
👀Impressions
I would like to share with you another spectacular photo taken from my balcony a free weeks ago…
Have a fabulous start to your weekend and as always I would love to hear from you - don’t be a stranger!
Yours
Tanja 🤗