“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” – Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral’s Kiss

Have you felt like you have reached a dead end and you can see no light at the end of the tunnel? At times of despair, do you feel that you will give up and you have lost all hopes? Do hopelessness and helplessness curb all your functioning potentialities? Well, these are all signs of depression. Depression is characterized by low moods, feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, social withdrawal, suicidal and self-harming tendencies, lack of energy and motivation to do something, changes in sleep and diet patterns, drug abuse and impairment in daily life functioning.

When the clouds of depression hover in your life, nobody and nothing seems to be right. The heart aches and sinks. Tears don’t stop rolling from the eyes. Everything seems dark and dusty. In a nutshell, the world seems to cease and stops. Living life becomes impossible and gruesome.

Let me tell you about some heart-rending stories of how depression was experienced by some people.

X was a very talented student in a Grad School. He was extraordinarily intelligent and always scored high marks in all his exams. He used to be in the good books of his professors and was an achiever in academics and extra-curricular activities as well. He was the star! However, one incident changed his entire life. He was studying for is exams late in the night. Suddenly, his night lamp had short circuit and his entire study table burst into flames. In order to save his books and belongings he struggled in the fire and severely hurt his hands. Due to his injuries he could not write in his exams. A whole year went into vain for him. After this incident, X could not face anybody. He held himself responsible for this and always remained locked in his room. He seldom attended his classes and never took good care of himself any more. A bubbly-lively guy now became a slow, de-motivated, sluggish person with no hopes and energy.

One fine morning, he got up from bed and saw a small plant growing from a rocky ground. That whispered loud words of life within him. He fought against the bout of his depression with all his might. He sought professional help, took his medicines on time, he started to socialize with people who understood him…he did everything that would take him out of the dark clutches of depression. Today X is a General Manager in a leading Multinational Company. If anything wrong happens in his life, he now takes it sportingly and does his best to solve his problems.

Mrs Y lost her husband very early in their marriage. Her husband died in an accident in front of her own eyes. She was shell-shocked after this incident and lost all motivation to live. She had small kids, but she did not take care of them. Gradually she, her kids and her household started sinking. Mrs Y tried to kill herself a number of times. But, every time she got saved. One day while she was cutting herself her younger daughter came to her and cuddled her up. The lil’ girl wiped her mother’s tears and kissed her wounds. That was enough to create a spark within Mrs Y to start living life again! Today, she is a successful working woman and a wonderful homemaker. Her daughters call her “Super Mom” and life is full of life for them.

Like these brave warriors there are many strong persons who get burnt in the hearth of depressing life events but come out without getting hurt. Do you know what makes a person win over depression? There are some weapons that shield them from losing the battle against depression:

Never Giving Up! No matter how worse a life situation is, never give up. You never know that there would be happiness waiting for you just at the next step. So, never keep trying and never stop walking. Keep working towards a bright and better future.

Don’t Lose Hope! Life will take unknown twists and turns. The road in life is never smooth and straight. So you are bound to fall down not once, neither twice… but many times. When this happens try to clean your wounds, let the emotional bruises heal, never lose hope. Always try to give your life a second chance and that to a fair chance.

Be patient and Persevere! There would be times when you will feel like giving up. There will be a point when you will feel as in you don’t want to live or nothing can be set right again. Hold on… don’t lose your patience. Take some deep breaths, try to keep yourself calm and try seeing life with a different perspective. Sometimes we get sinned and tossed in our own negative spiral thinking. No… don’t do that! If you fell that you have now reached at the edge of things, situations and your emotions, try your level best to be patient. Sometimes things take their own time to settle down. Patience and perseverance are the greatest values that help man to steer through the most violent storms of life.

Talk to your loved ones or take professional help! Sadness halves when we share it with someone and happiness doubles when we share it with someone. When you feel depressed, helpless and hopeless always try to reach out to your friends or loved ones. If you think you need additional support then taking professional help really helps a lot. If you or your loved ones are experiencing depression then please contact us.

There is nothing that you cannot do. Unless you give up, nothing can pull you back. No matter how cruel life is towards you, do not give up… do not lose hope… and keep on marching forward.

“No matter how dark life seems, there is always sunshine the next day…”