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I Decided to Stop Being Depressed.
Depression is a highly popular topic of discussion these days, which makes sense considering how depression rates increased by more than 300% during the pandemic in the United States. But do you know what I find even more depressing than these metrics? The constant barrage of “wait it out” messages that are posted in many places online and especially on social media. You know what I’m talking about. It’s those messages that encourage you to see yourself as the endless victim of everyone and everything else around you. It’s those messages that tell you your anxiety is “so much bigger than you,” that it’s “not your fault” and you should effectively “do nothing” about it.
What kills me about this messaging is that it dismisses your potential to overcome the challenges you’re facing before it even considers who you are and what you’re capable of. It also works to advance the delusive concept that you have some sort of “extra time” to be depressed and ineffective, and that giving up on living your dreams / the life you desire should be considered at home under the banner of self-care. Why is this messaging so widespread? And why do people accept and relay it so much? I’ve got a lot of questions, and most potential answers to them are open-ended or inconclusive at best. One thing I know for sure though is that the way out of depression requires…
