Bulbagarden Outreach October: Depression

[Pastellorama]

Depression, a topic that most, if not all, of us have a little to share on. Believe it or not, nearly everyone has suffered from depression at times, meaning that your parents, your grandparents, your aunt, your cousin's half-brother's girlfriend's sister, etc have likely also been there at some point.

Depression is a tough emotion, one that can show up out of the blue. Often, you can see nothing wrong with your life, but you feel upset, tired, and worthless nevertheless.

What hurts worse is trying to hide it and pretend you are perfectly happy and fine even when you aren't. Because October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month, a time for many to reflect on Breast Cancer and think of what it may have done to them, a family member, a friend, etc, we thought that Depression and Breast Cancer as well as many other forms of Cancer and illnesses just might go hand in hand.

So please, people of Bulbagarden, talk to us. Tell us your stories of times you were depressed, how you got through it, what may have caused it or if it was caused by nothing. Share with us and get it all out there, as well as take time to hear the stories of others--you just might find that someone out there is suffering from depression for the same reason you are even. By sharing our stories, we can help each other. What helped you may be just what someone else needs.

I do want to remind you, though, that this is not a contest. If someone was depressed and didn't know why, you are not to try and brandish your own reasons for depression in their face and make them feel bad for you because 'your life is worse' or whatever reason it is. That is rude and inconsiderate, as we all have feelings and this is a time to share, not a time to see who has a the hardest time in life.

So I urge you to be kind, be helpful, and be serious. Depression is not a joke and joking around is not always going to cheer someone up.

Thank you, and have fun sharing. Remember, you can post your stories here, in the thread, or in your blogs, or even write it out as a story format and post it in the Writer's Workshop. Just remember, if you post it anywhere besides the thread, to make sure you title it 'Outreach Depression' or something along those lines so people know what you are getting at. Also, don't post your stories just anywhere on the forums, please, stay within the blogs, this thread, and the Writer's Workshop.

Be kind, be considerate, and let's make this a meaningful month!

 

[Master Mew]

Well, I don't have a story to share, really - after all, I don't really have a climax or a resolution, so my depression would make for a lousy story ;-)

Basically, for me, it's always been triggered by life not panning out how I'd hoped. Depression's tough, hang in there. I don't have a heartwarming resolution to share, but... yeah... hang in there.

Take it from the guy who almost threw himself in a campfire a few months ago to end it.

 

[shadow the hedgehog6]

well i have one

 

[Legacy]

I have never been clinically diagnosed or taken medication for it, I do suffer from depression.

With how my health has been over the last few years and just the fact that in my mind, my life hasn't amounted to the lofty goals I had set for myself as a high schooler, I do feel down a lot lately.

Symptoms are basically just general sadness or hopelessness, severe fatigue, muscle aches and pains, lack of motivation, etc. I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way.

I guess my way to overcome it is to just focus on writing. I love writing, which is obvious to anyone familiar with me or familiar with the Writer's Workshop, but it does seem to ease my mood a lot when I can get lost in the worlds I create when I write. That and hanging out with friends always seems to help.

Also, a big tip to anyone feeling depressed: join a gym or health club, or if you can't afford that, just push yourself to start jogging or at least taking regular walks or other forms of exercise. My doctor told me something I'll never forget when I mentioned feeling depressed:

"No one ever left the gym (after working out) in a worse mood than when they left." And that is so true.

 

[OverlordRuby]

I know I suffer from some kind of depression, and it was probably the worst in fifth, sixth, and seventh grade. After being beaten down in fourth grade I almost wanted to die. I felt awful all the time because nothing was working out the way I hoped it did. I had no friends and no purpose. I just felt really isolated from everyone else and even if I did feel happy for a moment, it wouldn't last more than a few seconds.

Turns out my story does have a happy-ish ending: Eighth grade is great. I strengthened my ties to some of my 'sorta friends' and now they're the people that always talk to me and make me feel better. Not to mention that they're always in some of my classes. So the moral of this story is that good friends are good to have when you aren't feeling good about yourself.

 

[Zenax]

I haven't really been depressed in my life, if you don't count those times when I lost a family member, a pet or a friend, but those would be more fitted in the "sorrow" category than depression, in my opinion. Still, it's not hard to imagine how hard it must be for those who are suffering from it, as it is well documented in many medias (around here, at least), and I know a few people who have been depressed and shared their story with me.

To those of you who are in one, or if you know someone in this situation, just don't give up. It might seem tough (and probably is), but as they say, time heals all wounds.

 

[Pastellorama]

I had a few rough years of depression when I was about a sophomore.

It was my second year of high school, and it was starting to get to me. Not only were my classmates rude to me for not being like them, but having my mom be one of the teachers didn't help much. I started to get really down, building up to a point where I was at a State contest competing with my saxophone. My sisters were being horrible to me until I started to cry and, overwhelmed, I said "Mom? Am I mental?" because I couldn't figure out why I kept crying so much and why people were so rude and why I just didn't fit in.

After she explained to me what Asperger's is, that's when things started to change for me. I kinda embraced the idea of it, but I didn't embrace the attitude of it. My mom had never let me use it as a crutch before, and I wasn't going to then either--I actually grew and became more optimistic in an attempt to destroy any of the old feelings as well as break past anything anyone else had to say.

Junior year was a struggle, I was still working on it, and Senior year rolled around. My blogs were rather depressing and/or angry so I started to write daily questions until I just stopped posting blogs that were so negative. Sometimes I still get mad and post one, but I usually delete it immediately. By the end of Senior year, I had lost all feelings of being depressed--and now I'm a Freshman in College and I love it.

Sometimes I get a little sad and feel lonely, without my family, but compared to how I felt as a Sophomore, where every time I saw a large truck drive by and I wondered what it would be like to crash into it, that's hardly anything and I know I'll see my family again soon and that I'll be just fine.

Just remember, depression itself won't kill you. It's a physical emotion, one you can't help sometimes, so it's your job to remember you have a brain still and that you can choose to keep going and choose to think of a better day when you won't feel depressed.

Also, what Legacy said about a form of exercise--this is so true. It doesn't matter what it is, get on the Wii and play Just Dance! There is no way you can be upset after it, adrenaline is good for you and exercising makes you feel better. Coupled with dancing like an idiot with your friends watching, you'll feel so much better!

 

[TarotCard2]

I was diagnosed with clinical deppresion when I was 5. Sometimes it gets so bad that i make the people around me get depressed. When it gets real bad my vision fogs over and all i can see is blue. I've learned to cope with it. remember, guy's, NEVER give up hope that it will get better. it always will!

 

[Julum]

I was kinda depressed lately. That's why I wasn't here for awhile. But I don't like to talk about why I was depressed.

 

[Synthesis]

I was diagnosed with clinical deppresion when I was 5. Sometimes it gets so bad that i make the people around me get depressed. When it gets real bad my vision fogs over and all i can see is blue. I've learned to cope with it. remember, guy's, NEVER give up hope that it will get better. it always will!

Very motivational coming home from someone who was actuay diagnosed with depression ^^

I was kinda depressed lately. That's why I wasn't here for awhile. But I don't like to talk about why I was depressed.

Don't be afraid to PM or IM me @ thesyn4 if you change your mind and want to talk to someone (same applies to anyone).. There are also confidential freelines you can call if you need professional help.

Also remember that depression is an illness that can always be cured and not your own fault, contrary to popular belief.

 

[Muddy:3]

I have one..

 

[MizuTaipu]

I've had mild bouts of depression over the years, yet I've been able to overcome them with my family, friends, and Jesus by my side. Seriously, who hasn't had depression before? It's like one of those things you can't avoid.

 

[rkf]

Iv always find myself depressed because of my lack of friends and loved ones...sometimes life gets very hard without the suport of others. I found out a couple months ago that i have a degenerative bone disorder and iv found myself having trouble coming to terms with it without having anyone to talk to

 

[Apollo]

Depression is just a state of mind. Can easily come and can easily be overcome.

 

[Oblivion]

Oh, boy. This is a subject I know far too well.

Over the majority of my public school life, I felt mispalced, and my peers treated me as such. Elementary school was probably the worst time of my life, and I was in tears just about every day. Being outcast by just about everyone, endless tounge-lashings from my older sister that made me feel like a complete moron, and faculty and parents who never really did anything to fix the damn problem ravaged my emotions. Suicidal images began flashing through my minds on numerous occasions. Yet, no one did anything to help, and I had no friends to back me up. I felt alone. I felt scared.

Then came middle school. While not as traumatic as elementary school, the first year or so was still pretty horrible. Not having any friends to hang around with and having to deal with more psychological torment...yeah. It wasn't as...physical as elementary. I suffered in silence, and I quickly started to become more and more submissive and stoic, in an attempt to simply accept that I will never have a place.

Then, my saving grace. I managed to find some good friends to spend time with, and the torture started to settle down a little ways. I finally started changing my beliefs. I quickly went from feeling like an outcast to stating that "I am who I am, and hell if that's a bad thing in any way." Embracing my differences, accepting myself. Any snide remarks about my mindset were shot down by acceptance. I pulled the Bill Gates quote ("Be nice to nerds. Odds are you'll end up working for one.") on multiple occasions. I laughed and admitted that yes, I am not athletic. Yes, I suck at sports. Yes, I'm a nerd. But that's who I am, so deal with it.

But there are still moments, fades into blackness, where it starts to kick back in. As of right now, I'm in one of those states. All in all, I would just advise to keep a positive outlook, and try to find people to help you out. I know that you will probably think that this is impossible, but that's the best advice there is.

 

[Sushi-X]

I know pain and sadness very well like old friends.

During Elementary, besides my family, solitude was my only companion and I was often subject to teacher scorning. Due to this I figured due to my God awful social skills I would succeed where I could, which was academic wise. I began to get to the top of my class and I became very quickly one of the smartest kids in my class.

Junior High was a mixed bag. I was doing the same thing in elementary till about the middle of 6th grade and then the bullying only got worse. So I got rough, and I got tough and I somehow survived. 7th grade I broke all social barriers and I was the class clown, that crazy and cool kid. I was still very lonely sometimes but at least my social life was getting better. 8th grade my main bully moved away and I was cooling down from my crazy social life in 7th grade. It was a pretty fun year 8th grade.

During the summer I suffered a long period of depression. And I'm getting better, I sometimes get bummed out still and I sometimes get hurt pretty badly emotionally but I have learned how to survive. Now, my biggest problems are band (My director is an asshole to me), finding ways to be with my girlfriend (I love her very much and I try to find ways to be with her), getting money (trying to get a side job), and keeping my spirits and grades up.