Somewhere out there, they are there, alone, lonely, miserable bordering on depressed but they say nothing and if you ask, they say that “they’re fine.”
“It’s okay not to be okay “.. became a mantra often repeated on social media in the past few years..
But is it really okay not to be okay?
How do you know when your friend, colleague or family member says that “they’re fine”.
Another popular one .. i would rather listen to your problems than your eulogy.
Sounds cliched, a sound-bite to like or share on social media, but what are you actually going to do about it?
Late one night on a camping trip, when the drinking and singing had settled down to a chilled quiet talk round the fire, a good friend of mine confessed to having the Black Dog of depression following him.
I’d never heard of the term before and asked him to explain.
Now on the outside, he has a great job, only works 4 days a week, has a good house, no mortgage and all the material stuff you could desire. He rents a studio and on his days off he spends the day creating his paintings or sculptures. He plays in the band with me and is an all round good guy .. if not a wee bit on the miserable side money wise.
You’d look at him and think, okay so he’s single, never been married and no kids, but he explained thats the life he chooses.
But still it comes, the feelings of lonlieness and emptiness and the question comes into his head .. Is this it? is this me for the rest of my life and its only going to get worse as i get older.
if you weren’t depressed before .. you’d be depressed with those negative thoughts and doubts running around your head.
These are difficult times for many people, lots of people are in lockdown and even more socially isolated than normal.
Perhaps, the only chat they have on any day is with their work colleagues, perhaps they don’t even have that.
Perhaps they have lots of friends and family who are busy getting on with their own lifes and have too many things going on to pick up the phone.
Maybe they are sitting at home alone, getting on with whatever keeps them busy, around the house .. but the darkness comes over them now and again and they would really love someone just to think of them and pick up the phone.
Would you pick up the phone? Just a quick chat or even a text to let them know that you’re thinking about them.
Who do you know that could do with a chat?
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Personally, I’ve came through some trauma, divorce, relationships, had my fair share of heartache and lifes ups and downs.
Sometimes it can creep up on you, but thats very rare for me. Truth be told, I look after myself .. sometimes its time to put yourself first and do whatever makes you happy.
DancingBhoy 