Month: November 2019

What is Depression?

Posted on by Shreyy

So, the other day, while conversing with a friend, I had a realization. Depression takes such a wide range of shapes and forms and it has in it, many levels too. And since perceptions are never constant, depression means a different thing for every single person. It’s something like a virus. It keeps changing its composition to look like something else, to beat the immune system.

The worst part of being depressed is that sometimes you don’t recognize yourself. You think this is your character and that nothing can be done about it. Being depressed is never just sewed into someone’s traits. It’s a phase. It’s a recurring phase for some. People just need to identify it as non-self, to be able to get rid of it. That’s probably why it’s a clinical issue these days, for your body to be able to fight.

This world is made out of norms because it’s easier to follow rules than to live by the ones you create. The capacity to accept anything out of the ordinary is therefore really low. Depression is on top of that list. Heck, I was also one of those skeptical people before my dear friend, Depression and I, met. That’s how I know that there are two sides to it.

As if having to deal with the direct issue isn’t hard enough, people who deal with it have to now make people understand how tough it actually is to fight off. For instance, my dad, the person whom I think the world of, never once understood why I had frequent panic attacks. I don’t blame him. We’re trained to relate suffering only to a physical condition, never to a mental one.

My point here is to make people underestand that depression is as much of a disease as any other. To be able to fight it off, first accept it as a foreign entity, say a bacteria, and then make your immune system believe this. I’ve seen progress come about just by accepting it and talking about it. Keeping quiet about it never helps. Sure, you may think that people will never understand what you’re going through. I still think this. That’s why it’s important to know who your audience is. I’m glad I found mine to vent out to.

We all want to be remembered for doing something great. When I die, I want to be remembered for being vocal on an issue that only with time, will people consider as a serious one.

– Shreyy, who has had this on her drafts since Nov, 13th, 2018.

The little things that actually matter.

Posted on by Shreyy

This life is complicated- not because we know it is, but because we have absolutely no idea about it. We do not know the meaning of our existence and thus we seek out in different ways to find it. All we know is that we must make the most of our time, doing the things we love most, with the people we most care about. It is after all only the little things that make up a big picture.

Make it simple. Start by compartmentalizing time. Allocate time for yourself and then enough time, shared between the ones who make life worth living for. Its important that you do both, because too much time away from loved ones could make you go crazy from being lonely and too little me-time will make you lose yourself.

Ask a lot of questions. Ask yourself, why you’ve been placed in this certain family, city, country. Why you meet the specific set of people in life and why it takes more/less effort to keep them around. Ask yourself each morning, when you look into the mirror, what can I do, to the best of my abilities, to make this day count. It’s because simply asking the right questions may lead you to unexpected answers in life.

Say all the right things at the right time. Don’t get me wrong. When I say ‘right’ I mean, don’t miss out on saying things. Do not hold back. If you like someone, say it. If you feel like you’ve recieved help from someone your whole life and aren’t grateful enough, thank them. If you miss someone, arrange a meeting or make a call if you’re far away. Don’t wait for the other person to take initiative. Granted, it may never happen and sure that may hurt a lot, but at least you’ll know no guilt. You’ll know you tried.

Try, as much as you can, for as long as you can. Tell yourself each day that giving up is either not an option or should only be the very last option to anything. Try, at relationships, at work, at ethics, at communication. Be that person who you want your loved ones to be. Try to be a better human being, not for society, but for your own conscience, because you miss out on 100% of the options that you do not try.

Embrace all kinds of odds thrown your way. When life gets hard and the boats starts to shake, don’t give up the oar to the wrath of the ocean-like life. Embrace the situation and try to fight back. This again links back to trying, but is different from it in so many ways. Embracing means accepting your state (no matter how bad it is) and actually doing something to make it better, instead of complaining.

Resonate what you learn in life. Resonate on the good memories of the past and relive them from time to time. Give out your words of wisdom to those in need. Some people do this when they’re themselves in a good state of mind. Other do it, to get out of the depression they’re in. Either way, communicate to the world, and you’ll be surprised as to how many people will relate with your experiences. You are not alone when it comes to life. There will always be someone or the other who’ll need you or whom you’ll need. You just have to find them.

When you do all this, you’ll have MASTERed life!

– Shreyy, still exploring her options.