"It always happens to someone else" was my common response when I heard that someone had fallen over. "They just need to harden up", was another. Worse still, I would say, "They are just soft".
So life did what life often does in these situations: it gave me a sneak preview of the dark side as a way of enlightening me. Thanks, life!
Every person that I have met who has had depression is sensitive, caring, thoughtful, and giving. But they are just ordinary people.
Ordinary people who have got busy, who wanted to please, who wanted to help as much as possible, and who forgot about themselves.
Our work scratches at the armour we hide behind, weakening the metal plates that protect us. It keeps us moving forward, running away from our thoughts, and leaves us open and vulnerable. And then suddenly out of nowhere, 'life' comes and slaps us down.
It is often something personal, something that pierces us right in the heart and takes us down. We fight it, but eventually we have to face up to 'life' and we fall into the deep black hole.
It may take a while to get back out, some say twice as long to get out as it does to fall in. "3-to-5", I say - three to five years to climb back out. But the journey is so well worth it.
You learn about yourself, about just how strong you really are. And you are very, very strong indeed. Your mind goes to places that few get the opportunity to go to (and would not want them to go to), and you learn how to live again. It is a second chance at life, a chance to make things right and a chance to help others.
Each of us who has been down this path has a responsibility. A responsibility to help others; to help those who are going through tough times, to provide insight for those who have not been there nor should ever want to, and to ensure that as few people as possible have to fall into the abyss.
Let’s talk!
It Always Happen To Someone Else!