Depression affects more than 264 million people of all ages, the suicide rates for adolescent boys and girls has been steadily rising since 2007; the two deadly twins are becoming more prevalent than ever before, it is stated that If you don’t have a depressed or suicidal friend or family member, you are suicidal or depressed yourself. The 21st century is an age full of developments that surpass human understanding, from numerous social media platforms to Technological developments that are simply mesmerising.
We live in interesting times, a remarkable age that offers countless opportunities for personal growth and advancements, whatever we want to learn is readily available to us, this begs the question; in a world where so much is possible, why are so many people lonely and unhappy?
They say you can’t heal what you don’t reveal, but the stigma attached to mental illness is very real and it causes many people to suffer in silence, this is especially true for men; in his song, Kelly Kelz asserted “Depression is oppression to the silent mouth, its oppressing many persons in the silent night, pain killers and depressants are a source of light, but they fade away so quick we choosing suicide”- The truth in these lines echo the current state of affairs. We are silent even in our suffering because admitting we need help is weakness to our being, so we think. This attempt to delay the inevitable leads us into self-medications; we smoke, drink, have countless sexual partners, stay in toxic relationships with countless people, all for the unceasing attempt to fill a certain vulnerability that opens and exposes us, rendering us vulnerable to the undesired twins.
If we asked most people of a time they felt the least worried, doubtful or even fearful, many of them would talk of their childhood years. When we were young we experienced the highest levels of happiness, we never feared to speak our mind and we had an innocence that our elders admired; but overtime we grew to be aware of the fact that in as much as childhood and lack of responsibility are correlated, our adolescence years were also our most sensitive years. It is true that our childhood experiences are never the same; this is primarily due to the differences we have when it comes to our upbringings and the type of people (parents/guardians) that raised us.
As we grow and become more mature we begin to realize that ups and downs are what define the affairs of life. There are days when things go in your favor and there are days when things don’t, there are days you feel low and there are also days when you are upbeat and full of optimism. The things you ignored as a child begin to be more visible as you grow. Questions you never bothered to ask as a child become a predominant part of your thoughts as an adult. Questions like; why are others successful and why are others unsuccessful? Why do others have a love for God and others a great disdain for things related to religion? Why are others ever happy and others ever depressed?
Life is puzzling, we get to grow and then begin to understand that life is not a bed of roses. This realization makes us begin to undergo many life changes; have you ever wondered why the guy that was so loud as a child grows to become quiet and introverted; have you ever wondered why the girl that was so free spirited becomes bitter with men and the world (she masks her bitterness in the form of being a feminist); have you ever wondered why the kid that believed that all things are possible ends up conforming to a mediocre existence. The causes for such an unfortunate state of affairs could be depression caused by past traumas and other tragic events during childhood.
When we experience these traumas as kids, they do not instantaneously get to affect us, it takes a long time for to be hit by depression due to a traumatic or negative experience of the past. The reason for this is that unlike adults, kids are good at ignoring negative emotions and as a result when they get to experience a traumatic event, they keep what they saw and experienced to themselves. That is why it takes many years for one to get struck by depression due to certain events of the past.
If you’ve gone through the worst of experiences, make an effort to open up. There so many people that are caring and would do anything to help you live a better and happier life. Do not keep things to yourself as doing so will lead to you being unstable mentally, emotionally and in many other areas of life. SEEK HELP, THERE ARE STILL GOOD PEOPLE OUT THERE.
Ryan Holiday in his book “THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY,” writes;
“You can always remember that a decade earlier, a century earlier, a millennium earlier, someone just like you stood right where you are and felt very similar things, struggling with the very same thoughts. They had no idea that you would exist, but you know that they did. And a century from now, someone will be in your same exact position once more. Embrace this power, this sense of being part of a larger whole. It is an exhilarating thought. Let it envelope you, because at the end of the day were all just humans.”
Extractions from a beautiful mind 