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Story Archives: Depression battle can be won


Depression battle can be won
by Robert Charles Payne - posted Friday, June 12th, 2009 @ 9:13 amE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
I admire celebrities who don't mind admitting that they battle with depression. I appreciate Terry's Bradshaw's forthrightness about his depression. You would never know that Bradshaw ever had one bad day by observing his gregarious and hilarious character that he portrays on his NFL programs. I am grateful for anyone who steps forward to share his past torment. Many had to hit rock bottom before they could start the climb back up.

Depression is something that I have battled for many years. Depression hangs on your brain like ivy clinging to a building. It is ever inching its way until this mental vine covers your entire mind. This ivy of depression chokes the very light out of life. Your personality slowly changes until the person you once were is barely visible. The normal stress that you once could conquer has become heavy like a mental anvil. Every stress related occurrence begins to build to a level that even normal activities become a psychological and physical conflict. You begin to isolate yourself in order to protect your tattered emotions. You even avoid your closest friends and family. .

I know that there are many people who suffer from depression and there are people who are ashamed to admit they need help; especially men. Men don't cry. We label our emotional conflict as a sign of weakness. We are tough. I was tough too, but not until my world completely fell apart did I admit that I was not tough enough to handle problems that were much bigger than I was. I discovered that fighting depression was a battle; sometimes a war.

Depression is a powerful, dark and negative force. Depression builds invisible fences. Fences that are high. Dug deep into our mental soil. And cover a psychological barrier that is broad. These emotional obstructions are almost impenetrable. Depression locks us in a cell without physical walls. If we try to fight depression alone, we can find ourselves on the down side of losing this conflict. Depression is a "we" battle; not an "I" battle.

Several years ago I had a friend call me. He said that he had called to apologize. He told me that when I sought counseling that he thought this was a sign of weakness. He said, "Robert Charles, I did not understand. I have sought counseling this past year. I could not handle what was happening in my life. I understand now. I will never criticize anybody for things that I do not understand. Thank you for showing me the way. Thank you for having the courage to do what you did. Again, I am sorry for some of the comments that I made."

Larry King, Abraham Lincoln, Beethoven, Ricky Williams and Brooke Shields are just some of the more high profile names that have battled depression, but there are millions of people like you and me who are struggling with depression, also. In the book "Happier" by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, the author states that the rates for depression are 10 times higher than they were in the 1960s. I think that we are all trying our best to live in a normal world, but the trouble with today's world is that normal is dysfunctional.

If you always do what you have always done, then you will always be what you have always been. In other words, if you keep doing the same things that you have been doing, then don't expect change. Now go get some help. It is ok. See the blue sky again. See how beautiful the leaves are during the autumn. Allow nature to paint happy colors back into your life.

The good news is that the battle against depression can be won.

Robert Charles Payne is an inspirational writer who lives in West Monroe. He can be contacted by e-mailing robertcharlespayne@yahoo.com.
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