September Blues

_{(Or how I am dissatisfied with the way depression is handled).} 

September, the month of where one is reminded to be alert on your fellow friends, students, or colleagues. I wonder sometimes how others feel when they are reminded of this. There is a unique type of irony for those of us that happen to be born in the month of September and suffer from depression. 

What a horrifying experience it was– unique and memorable. I remember that on September 16, 2018, I was hospitalized; then again on February 2020. The precisely unsettling thing about this date is the disconnect. People, well-meaning, tend to inevitably treat those that go through it as an “other”, an outsider. This mainly comes from the prevention videos where the proposed solution is to tell them it gets better, or be there for them, or any number of simple solutions. 

 I don’t believe they work on their own. As a survivor. I found that: 
 

 Empathy works best, or at least it has worked with me. It’s not necessarily about having people put themselves in my shoes, but rather having them understand that if I closed that door I would be dearly missed. As a fact. Beyond my feelings of what that perceived reality is. I searched for professional help, got to express my depression, and got some simple recommendations that would help me thrive again and feel, for a lack of a better term, alive. 
 
I felt alive for the first time in a long time as I made new friends. I did more things that meant I matter. While I can’t speak for everyone, holding on and weathering the storm helped me immensely. Seeking professional support and making great connections does help. 

     I cannot deny the privilege I have. And with that knowledge, I wished other people would seek to represent what this is and understand that it cannot be simply explained away with a magical plot device. This requires complexity, empathy, and love for those you care about. 

So, as this September closes to an end, I suppose my only real advice is…  

Look for help; not everything is lost, friend. 

And you, look out for your friend. Do it for them, okay? With empathy and love.

• #dealing with anxiety#mental health
• #experiences
• depression awareness