Recently, the stigma around mental health has subsided slightly. This has been helped by more and more people opening up about their struggles with depression. However, suicide is still the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK.
So let’s talk about it.
First of all, a mental illness is exactly that: an illness. There is no shame in heart disease, cancer, or any form of physical hurt. So don’t feel ashamed of depression. It’s not happened through your choice. Furthermore, depression is not a weakness. It does not equate to failure. On the contrary, it tends to be ambitious people who suffer with depression because they can be too hard on themselves whilst chasing continual success.
The biggest fear for ambitious people (and most of us in general) is to get to the end of their life and to not have achieved anything of importance. Even if that was the case – which it isn’t because if you really examine your life up until this point, I’m sure there are many things you’re proud of. But even if it was true, well then so what? You’ve still walked this earth. You have lived.
It’s estimated that the chances of being born as a human being in the universe is 400 trillion to 1. Motivational speaker, Gary Vaynerchuk says “Being a human means you’ve won the lotto of the universe.” It may feel like a prison sentence at times but just living on this earth is an achievement in itself. So anything else is really a bonus.
Johnny Cash was once asked to define paradise. His response was: “This morning with her, having coffee.” It is a powerful image. For a man who had everything; success, fame, and wealth, his idea of happiness was to simply enjoy a cup of coffee with his wife. So no matter what we have achieved, or not, it truly is the simple pleasures in this life that we remember the most. We’ve all experienced these moments. Whether it be watching the sunrise, receiving wonderful news, laughing til we cried, or feeling love.
Because you are loved.
And your loved ones need you.
More great moments are going to happen in your life. These moments are to be shared with the people you love. A simple cup of coffee will not cure depression, and nor will anything I’m saying here. You may feel you’re drowning in this depression and no moment, no matter how great, can be really enjoyed in your current state. But this situation won’t last forever. Things do get better.
This too shall pass but it can take time. So, I’m asking you to be patient.
Remember, it’s always darkest before dawn. And when the dawn does break, you will experience your own taste of paradise once again.
Fitness in Your 30s 