If you’re struggling with depression, know this: you’re not alone. Learn from the experiences of those who have been there and have gone out there.
Amelia: Having depression, there’s no way to ease it, it’s not fun. It’s not just that you’re unhappy. Feeling like you’re incapable of being happy. Stewart: I focus my energy on doing things that I don’t want to do, I don’t want to do. Practice mixed martial arts, write poetry, listen to music. Amelia: It’s counter-intuitive. All you want is to lie in bed but the more you do that, the less you want to get up. Meredith: Your brain is like a bicycle. If you’re in a negative place, your brain will be like, “Yeah, let’s keep doing these negative thoughts. Let’s just stay there.” Joshua: The exercise is really, really big too. Veronica: Yes, endorphins and getting your body moving are very helpful. Kate: I definitely find that when I’m consistent with exercise, it helps reduce symptoms. Amelia: I thought, “Oh, I can’t get enough cardio and it doesn’t help.” But honestly, just going for a 20-minute walk outside can have a huge impact, or being productive is really helpful for me and it can be a small thing, like if I can’t do all the your dish, make one dish, then just one dish less. than you have to do later. Kate: I learned transcendental meditation. It’s a great technique if I’m starting to feel overwhelmed, take 20 minutes and try to meditate. Joshua: One of the things about depression is that you think you’re alone. You think the world doesn’t understand, no one understands, your family, your friends, no one will understand what you’re going through. Amelia: But you’re not alone, you really aren’t. Honestly, I’ve found online communities that can really relate. Joshua: Everyone has their own things. Whether it’s worse than your situation, the same as yours or not worse. You can learn from all sorts of different things. Stewart: I’m afraid to tell people about it because I don’t want to be judged and that’s the worst part of this whole journey. Veronica: So I try to be superhuman, super honest with people. Amelia: When I opened up, I found a lot of friends who were going through the same things. I had no idea. I can talk to those people about drugs. I can talk about therapy with them. They are just related. Veronica: There’s definitely still a stigma surrounding depression. Meredith: But it’s just like any other health problem. Amelia: This is an illness. You will not leave the disease untreated. If you have heart disease, you won’t leave it untreated. Meredith: So get help because it gets better when you do. Joshua: I repeat, do not engage in a permanent solution to a temporary problem. There is still hope. There is a better tomorrow. You just have to be open to that.
