OK, So I Love Being Depressed?

This article was inspired by my mate Dave (insta @unopenedmale) and his blog post https://www.unopenedmale.co.uk/post/am-i-happy-being-depressed. It is a subject I have pondered myself before and I found myself musing in the comments section that maybe I have learnt to love my depression.

What do I mean?

Mental health (and specifically, poor mental health) is a subject I can never remember NOT being aware of. It’s always been a part of my life, whether my own challenges or those of people around me. For a long time, I thought I was in some way abnormal feeling the way that I did at times. It was only much later in like that I realised that pretty much EVERYONE experiences low mood, and very often, more than that. This was the game changer for me. People often ask me how I am able to be so open about “feelings and stuff”. To summarise…

• I now realise how “normal” it is to feel the way we feel

• I realise that it helps people when I talk about it

• I realise that it helps ME to talk about it

• Here’s the secret…I know my own boundaries. I share only what I am comfortable sharing and I make no excuses.

Over time, I think I have come to see my own experiences as a bit of a Super Power. I have empathy. I have understanding. I understand my needs, my boundaries and my triggers. I understand that I won’t always understand. I understand the world around me better than ever before, and what motivates many of the people in it. All that makes me a better person.

So thanks, Black Dog*, you absolute bastard. My Lex Luther. You make me better.

Much love

Dave

ps - go and read Dave’s blog if you haven’t already, it’s a great read!

* The Black Dog is a term often used to refer to depression, made popular by Sir Winston Churchill when referring to his own struggles.