Recent update: I have completed the SMART Recovery Basic Host Training Program from SMART Recovery. This includes training in the origins of and the program ideals, plus the basic tools to host or assist in hosting a SMART Meeting. These include:
INTRODUCTION TO SMART RECOVERY – An introduction to the SMART Recovery organization and program HOSTING A DISCUSSION MEETING
Learning to host a SMART Recovery Discussion Meeting
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Coping With Depression
My blog is giving me a chance to share my day-to-day thoughts. My intentions, my struggles, and triumphs as I learn to live with and learn more about depression.
Some of you want to know more about me. On these pages, I will share my back-story.
Even I am curious about how I got to this point. My hope is that I can be completely honest. I see many benefits from this.
I have lied to myself about living with depression for all my adult life.
Am I depressed? Yes.
Masking it, concealing it, never saying its name. This avoidance has created episodes that have led me to where I am now. Telling my complete story is a way to set that right for me.
The Internet and Modern Depression Support Groups
Coping with depression has been a struggle for so many because finding great, local support isn’t as easy as many make it out to be. Thanks to the Internet, we can now come together and share our depression stories, work together toward self improvement, and help another through the thick and thin.
Telling my story may help others see this before they hit the wall, too.
While in the hospital, I read Meditation for the fidgety skeptic, by ABC News Anchor Dan Harris. The author suffered a panic attack on air and was diagnosed with depression. His journey forward, living with depression, is shared, in part, on the pages of his book. This was incredibly helpful to me. Just knowing that there are other people who have had major depression, survived, and thrived, gives me hope.
I can think of four major events in my life where living with depression has challenged me, and I have fought.
And in three of the four, I was able to beat back depression without having to admit I had it. Or even tell others I had it. But all of this is from the vantage point of time. I am not sure what people saw or how they remember those episodes.
Now I am facing depression a fourth time. But this time, I choose to fight. I choose to call it by name, depression, and to say, “I have depression, depression does not have me.”
The truth is I do not only have depression when I can’t see the way forward. I have depression when things are going great. This has been lost on me in the past.
There is no turning back. Depression is not my boss.
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Disclaimer
These pages contain opinionated content. All statements are accurate to the best of my knowledge but there may be errors, omissions or mistakes. All information on this site is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only and shouldn’t be any kind of advice, such a medical, legal, tax, emotional or other types of advice. I am not a medical professional and any recommendations made should not be confused for medical advice.
IMAGES
The images used on my blog are either taken by me or from free stock images. Some of my blog posts might have pictures from Pinterest which I do not claim as mine. If I’ve used your image and you want me to credit you or remove it then please contact me at my.concealed.depression@gmail.com and I will remove or credit it immediately.
AFFILIATE LINKS
Some of the links on my blog may be affiliated and if that’s the case it will be clearly stated at the end of the post or by including an asterisk (*) by the product. If you click on one and purchase the product I have linked to, I will earn a small commission of that sale. This will not cost you anything extra and it’ll help me run my website.
