Anyone who follows me knows that I am extremely passionate about all things related to traveling, design, business, marketing and overall lifestyle. I am one person, but I try to make a big impact on the world. I know, mock me all you want. I am one person. How much effect can I really have on this world? Well, I’m here to tell you that it would be amazing if I could reach all 7+ billion people. But, the reality is that I don’t feel like I need to. If I can change even one person, it would have been worth it. And I believe I can do this.
Yeah, I Really Can
Here’s why you’re going to change your mindset. A few years ago, when I decided to start my own business, I felt on top of the world. Nothing could stop me. Unfortunately, that feeling dissipated quite quickly. I started getting antsy and nervous. Then I realized I wasn’t making enough to feed myself. This of course led me down a deep and dark spiral, ultimately landing me in the land of depression.
A few months in and I was unrecognizable to family and friends. I was so far gone that people in my life wrote me off. Yeah, no, seriously. People stopped talking to me because negativity was all around me. In addition to this, I had some pretty wild thoughts…even thoughts of committing suicide. It was bad. Really bad.
Thankfully, I had my mother who physically intervened to get me professional help. That wasn’t easy in it of itself. I had many questions and arguments with my mother. “I don’t need help.” “I’m just fine, really!” These statements slowly turned into “I’ll go tomorrow.” Denial and procrastination are two symptoms that are textbook depression.
Finally, after months of interventions, I caved. But I didn’t go easily. I first wanted to research if what my mother thought I was going through was what I was really going through. As it turns out, depression affects millions. I started connecting the dots. I realized that my life over those past few months were pretty low. Sleepless. Random crying outbursts. No motivation to do anything. Procrastination. And, when people would recommend I seek out therapy, I would deny, deny, deny. Honestly, the day I came back down to reality was the best day of my life.
From there, I decided to take one last step before committing to anything. I decided to see if I had depression, on my own. I took a quick quiz on depression. My score? I had “severe depression.”
For anyone who doesn’t know much about depression, this is the worst possible score a person can achieve. With my own realizations, my mother’s interventions and the score from the quiz, it became apparent (and frightening) that I needed help.
That day, I found a psychologist in my hometown and booked an appointment for the following week. It has been three years and I am still in therapy to this day. My situation is much better, and my therapist has told me that I am no longer clinically depressed. Yet, I have decided to stick with therapy because it has become an outlet for me. I truly believe that therapy has been the number one contributor to my current success in life.
If you are still reading, and your situation seems similar to mine, stop procrastinating. Stop denying. Stop avoiding. Go and test yourself for depression. I can just about guarantee that your score will be similar to mine. Then go and get professional help. It can lead to some of the best positive changes in your life.
To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.
