These Times are not Easy...

Times are difficult right now for everyone. As humans, we all have our own ways in which we wish to cope with sadness and despair.  Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just cannot shake the misery we may be experiencing. If you happen to feel this way, right now, there is no need to fret. You are definitely not alone.

This is a worldwide crisis, and there are varying degrees of pain being felt in every corner of the world. Even if you have not lost someone you love to this virus, even just hearing about the death and devastation can affect many people, especially those of us who are empathic and tend to feel other people’s pain.

Many people who were fulfilled by their craft and their work in the past are now looking to something new to fill the void. There are also many people who are in dire straits financially and do not know when they will have a place to call home anytime in the near future. Thinking about all of these things on a daily basis and have them run around all over your mind can surely take a huge toll.

It becomes suffocating, and when your mind becomes overcrowded, it is only natural for it to want to shut down.  It becomes more or less natural to start listening to the negative voices in your head.  This feeling then naturally transforms into an ugly depression that will consume you and will not let up no matter what you do.

I understand because I have been there one too many times.  I know the powerful and unbearable grip depression can have on you and your mind.  It does its best to leave you feeling like you have nothing left to offer the world.

Do me a favor. Do your best to try and overcome those negative vibes. Find a hobby or activity that you enjoy doing and try to block out all of those negative feelings by exerting all of your energy into that hobby.  My personal hobby happens to be coloring, and it has done more for my anxiety and depression than I am capable of explaining.

Know that you are unique, and you have a special trait to offer the world. The beauty of life and personality lies in the fact that we are all different and all contribute to life in our own individualistic way.

If you have exhausted all of your known resources, and none of the things are doing the trick like they normally do, PLEASE do not hesitate to seek professional therapy.  Society likes for us to believe that seeking help means bowing down to the devil and showcasing weakness, but I would like to remind you that that is not the truth at all. If seeking help does anything at all, it makes you appear more human in my eyes. The struggle is universal but coping mechanisms vary, and sometimes old tricks no longer work. It is also great to have a support group which you can rely on, but even those people who normally help you through every instance in life can also become overwhelmed and exhausted by their own lives, and sometimes, it’s best to let them try to figure out their own lives before coming back to assist others. So, please, do not be ashamed to seek help from other avenues. We all need it at some point because being human is a big world is not an easy feat.