Tag: awareness

Getting the Word Out There — Wil Wheaton and Living with Depression

My name is Wil Wheaton. I live with chronic Depression, and I am not ashamed.

If you’re a geek like me you’ll know Wil Wheaton from his days as Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation.  If you’re younger you’ll know him for his recurring role on Big Bang Theory. I happened upon one of his recent posts where he opens up about his live with chronic depression. It’s a frank and honest assessment and I appreciated how candid Wheaton was with recognizing the struggle many people face in seeking help.

We are living in an interesting time. Depression has long been stigmatized as something that people dealt with behind closed doors and were ashamed of. In some ways we’ve moved away from that to understanding that depression is a major plight facing much more of the population than people really realized. At the same time however I do fear that on one level there’s a degree of romanticizing that has come from it as well.  For some there’s a fine line between true clinical depression and people who are seeking attention under the guise of seeking help for mental health. Celebrities and other people of note coming out about their battles with mental illness however stands to me as more positive than negative. Personally my own reasons for blogging are certainly not for fame or attention. When I had to make my first call to a therapist it was in the midst of a downward spiral which started with undiagnosed depression and eventually lead to divorce. I wouldn’t wish that double-slap in the face on anyone and I want others to know that there are resources out there. I’ll never say there’s a cure, you won’t hear me saying it’s ‘easy’ to deal with. Everyone’s battle with depression, anxiety or other mental illness is distinct and varied.

Should you have happened upon my blog or are reading other posts from WordPress bloggers or celebrities trying to shine a light on the issues of mental health, take it with a grain of salt. Reflect upon yourself, don’t get stuck ruminating. If you suspect you might be suffering, seek help, even if the steps start small, they are important.

Stress Awareness Month — And Mental Health

Stress Awareness Month 2018

I suppose there’s logic, at least for we US folks, that April would be stress awareness month. With tax season smack in the middle of April it isn’t exactly the best of times. For me I have double-reasons to be aware. April is also when I got divorced.

One of the biggest challenges in addressing depression for me has been knowing how my body is reacting to stress and how I chose to respond to it actively. For me the first indicator my body gives me is an increase insomnia. I’ll find sleep harder and harder to come by. As a result I’ll usually feel much more fatigued and prone to feeling pain throughout the waking hours. My usual approach to this has been to try and get in a bit of exercise to force myself asleep or to use the occasional dose of melatonin  to help ease me into sleep.

Irritability is the other common symptom that I manifest. This one is often harder to attribute to depression or stressors as I work in a fairly high stress industry to begin with. I’ll usually journal about moments where I’ve found myself ranting more or becoming shorter with people in conversation. As a target shooter one of my common de-stressing activities is hitting the range and getting behind a firearm.  This isn’t something I recommend for everybody.  Be it a pistol or a small 22LR rifle, practicing my accuracy and fundamentals and the safety surrounding it is calming for me.

The last major symptom is probably the most common for folks but also the most challenging. Stress eating is a hit/miss thing with. While I don’t binge eat as I did early on in my depression, I do still find myself making bad eating choices when stress mounts. I’ve tried to divert those urges by always having simple protein snacks on hand like jerky or healthier alternatives to sweets like fruits, nuts or yogurt.

Life throws a lot of stress our way, April or otherwise. Make it a point to see what things are stressing you out and what you can do to process through it. Find your coping tools, make use them in moderation and listen to your body. It’s easy to get into the spiral and to let the stress build until you let it off in negative ways. Here’s hoping your April ends relatively stress free.