A walk through depression.
Now for something completely different and a lot more personal. The stretch from September-March is always the most challenging part of the year for me. While others start to talk about pumpkin spice lattes, cosy pullovers and autumn leaves, I have this small soundtrack in my head like a John Carpenter movie…tapping away. Waiting for things to fall apart…waiting for things to melt.
Depression has many names and many faces, just as unique as an individual can be. After asking for help beyond medication after a breakdown, they diagnosed me with ‘medium to severe depression’ which I still puzzle over to this day. Mostly because I don’t know what thresholds make my mental illness medium to severe in the first place.
Along with other axes of oppression (being black, queer and trans) its been a struggle to maintain health holistically, but in these blogs I’m hoping to give some guidance to keep depression at bay. Remember, like any habit it takes discipline to stay on top of anything you want to achieve. Be patient, take your tine and eventually it’ll become part of your routine.
Medication
Now before I continue, I want to let you know I was heavily against anti-depressants at the beginning of being diagnosed. I thought it would turn me into a ‘zombie’ without emotion and remove my identity. However with time and proper consultation with my doctor, I found the right type of medication to help me get through the day. I started on Sertraline initially, but that didn’t work as well as I wanted. Now I’m on Citalopram and that’s been effective for me. The best advice I can give is to talk to your doctor and they’ll walk you through the medications available.
That’s it for now. I do advise you some of the best people on this planet have gone through depression in some shape or form, be it brief visits or life long struggles. You’re not alone. You’re not alone at all.
Until next time, #embraceinfinity
