{"id":168,"date":"2016-09-26T16:15:05","date_gmt":"2016-09-26T20:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/?p=168"},"modified":"2016-09-27T08:21:49","modified_gmt":"2016-09-27T12:21:49","slug":"youre-not-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/26\/youre-not-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"You’re not alone"},"content":{"rendered":"

There comes a point in time in everyone\u2019s life when the pressures of life and expectations are too much to bear. The pressure of being perfect at all times is more than one can\u00a0bear and a heavy load to carry. When\u00a0that pressure gets to be too much, we retreat to the place which gives us the most comfort, our dark place.\"Image<\/p>\n

That dark place is more familiar to some than it is to others and some seek\u00a0professional help because they can no longer find joy in the simplest things in life. When you can\u2019t find your way out of the funk or it last for more than a couple days, there\u2019s a chance you\u2019re experiencing mild depression. This doesn\u2019t mean there is anything wrong with you, it happens to the strongest of people.<\/p>\n

Depression has been such a taboo subject in families of all races and nationalities for centuries, it carries the label of shame which is why so many suffer alone and in silence. Having to deal with depression alone only makes it that much worse because you already feel bad about yourself for not being able to handle life and now you have no one to talk to about it without paying for therapy. Our loved ones care about us but, if they haven\u2019t personally dealt with our degree of depression, they are unable to empathize and understand why you burst out in tears and retreat to your private space or seem to be snippy and in an argumentative mood. When you\u2019re depressed, sometimes it sneaks up on you and you can\u2019t truly figure out what\u2019s wrong which makes it that much harder to talk about.<\/p>\n

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The hard reality is that no one is exempt from suffering from depression, it doesn\u2019t discriminate. The people we look at who have the least also tend to be the happiest because they are appreciative for everything they have. Whereas, some of the richest people are the most miserable because no amount of material possessions fill that void which makes them feel unfulfilled with life. Depression could be spawned by the ending of a relationship or losing a job and wondering how you\u2019ll survive from day to day or the anniversary of the death of a loved one. Your genetic makeup can also be a contributing factor, in this instance, it\u2019s more of chemical imbalance which is triggered by certain experiences. I will own and admit I have suffered from serious bouts of depression and did so silently, without anyone close to me even knowing. Being an introvert, no one took notice or concern when I stayed to myself because that was my usual behavior.\"ImageI feel like I am the poster child for therapy because I\u2019ve had many stints over the course of my life and sitting down talking to a therapist never got me out of my funks. What I gained from therapy was an understanding of how my thoughts about things that were happening were controlling me and how to take that power back. I learned the hard way, medication is not always the answer to resolving depression, it is not a cure, it merely puts a band-aid on the problem by numbing your emotions. There was a point in my life when the meds I was on just made me emotionally numb, I was unable to smile, cry, be happy, sad or even get angry. \"ImageI realized, not only did my daughters deserve much more from me, I<\/strong> also deserved to feel life. They deserved a mother who got joy from seeing them happy and hearing them laugh so\u00a0I got off my meds to be the best mother and person I could be and haven\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n

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When you\u2019re depressed, you feel hopeless and as though you are a burden on others, you get trapped in your own head of negativity and it feels as though there is no way out. This is where mental strength and determination need to come in to play, getting out of depression is an inside job, no one can get you out but you. Trust me, when you\u2019re in those dark periods, it\u2019s hard to get out because all you think of are the things you\u2019ve done wrong, could have done differently or better and maybe, just maybe things would have turned out differently for you. The reality is this, there is no \u201cUNDO\u201d button in life, we can\u2019t go back and change the past, all we can do is acknowledge, learn from it and move forward with the life we have been blessed with. Everything that happens in your life occurs to grow you into the strong, wonderful being HE created you to be, take a moment and celebrate.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019ve never suffered from true depression, it\u2019s hard to empathize when someone close to you is going through it. I\u2019ll share some tips on how to be there for someone who\u2019s going thru a dark period in their lives:<\/p>\n