Living with depression

Am I the only one who feels
He's reading bad poetry
With 30's posting syntax?
Of course I'm not.

 

I've always been a person who keeps a stockpile of happy thoughts to dwell on in my downtime. My wife. My son. The chess tournaments I've won. Future chess tournaments I plan to win. The Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup.

When I hit my depressive episode, it was like the power was out. You can flip the switch as many times as you want, it won't change the fact that nothing is going to come on. All of a sudden, I felt nothing at all about all of the most important things in my life that used to make me happy to think about. The power was out, and telling myself to flip the switch over and over again wasn't helping.

I'm very thankful that this sudden onset depression went away almost as quickly as it came. I can't imagine living with that for years on end. Two weeks was hell enough.

 

Would you prefer my posts scanned perfectly for meter and scheme?
I can do that, but I'm going to require an advanced payment.
Mister, I've taken my knocks.
We all have.
You're here long enough on this mudball that it's unavoidable.
We just choose to get up off the ground.
The writhing is unbecoming.

 

Rick, in all seriousness, I wonder if a dietary change triggered the reformation.
Our bodies also need sunlight. It is our natural habitat.
Get as much of it as you possibly can.

 

When I see that someone who has cancer is allowing their own individual tumor to allow them to perhaps not survive, I guess I just hope that individual can think first of how their passing will affect their family.

 

Christ almighty. This shit is just ridiculous.

 

Beyond ridiculous to the point of offensive. Yet another schmuck who thinks depression is some kind of choice or just a reaction to hard times.

And Norrin, please don't think I'm lumping you in with fart boy here. I'm not. But some of us actually do know a good bit about depression through our own experiences or those we love and I think your perspective here is a bit simplistic.

 

Here come the trolls on what was a reasonable thread.
Make way.

 

Perhaps so.

But there's only so much I wish, and need, to reveal on an Internet message board.

 

Calling your ignorance out isn't trolling, it's fact.

Depression is very real. To come on here and tell those who have it keep a stiff upper lip and pull up their bootstraps is exactly what I called it -- fucking ridiculous.

 

So no one can feel depression temporarily?

What about RickStain's experiences? Should they be called something else?

When we say "Depression" do we only mean a chemical imbalance? Or a reaction to a piling up of life challenges?

 

I don't think it's up to us to define. Nor is it up to us to judge it.