Creativity Kicking Depression

In my first post, I shared with you guys some ways that socializing can actually help you cope. Your social life plays a large role in your mental and emotional health. Sometimes people harm our mental and emotional health while other times, they can help. Having people around you who can relate or simply support you for who you are goes a long way. That’s just step one of coping with mental illness. Coping for me isn’t about the medicine I take or about the doctors I see. Coping is all about working on my individual mental strength. When I become overwhelmed by the effects of my illness, I turn to art, I turn to music, and I turn to whatever gives me joy. Even if I don’t feel like doing it anymore, even if it doesn’t necessarily give me joy in that moment, I do it anyway because half the race is won by the effort you exert. I push myself to get over the hurdle until I do. There was basically the same sentiment in my last post where I said, “Eventually I realized that social interaction, while infuriating and nerve wracking at times, is important if there is any chance of surviving mental illness.” Ultimately, there comes a time where you have to make yourself keep going even if it feels impossible.“ Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” This very famous quote from Alice in Wonderland, one of my favorite children’s books and movies, is one that I carry with me always. It is probably one of my favorites because sometimes I feel like accomplishing anything is utterly impossible but if I give into that then it truly is impossible. So even if I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, I refuse to settle for anything less than impossible. Impossible is what I strive to achieve. When I let my anxiety and depression rule me, and my grades were so low that I was literally failing everything, I felt like success was impossible. And then I found success. Basically what I am trying to say is that, just because you can’t see where you are going or how you will get there, does not mean you cannot get there. You have it within yourself to leap over your hurdle. Your hurdle may be talking to people or it may be finding joy in activities, but only you can jump your hurdle. The good thing is that you have people cheering you on while you do. If you are ever struggling to jump over your hurdles just look here.

One of my biggest hurdles I depression. It is always with me, every day, all day, I feel it lurking in the background waiting to claim my thoughts. However, I focus on how I can get those feelings out instead of drowning in them or trying to ignore them, I embrace them as a part of me and set them free into the world. A good starting point for anyone, artistically inclined or not, is to illustrate how mental illness feels to you. This allows you to show the world what it’s like to be you, how you view the world, and it allows people to connect with you. Whether it is through photography, sketching, painting, song, poetry, or something else entirely your own, finding some creative way to release your inner self is a great coping mechanism. It frees you from the prison that mental illness feels like it creates. You will get tired of fighting for your happiness, but you fight anyway, because your dreams and goals mean more to you. You fight to live a better life because the fight is all you’ve got. Nothing in this world is easy, so you have to fight for it. Depression is another hurdle to jump over, and keep jumping over because on the other side of that hurdle is a life worth living. Carry on wayward sons.

#HOPESINGS