Depression Can Happen

Picture this.....  You carry around a back pack all day, in that back pack you have items in it.  They can really be whatever you wish they are really, but for this post we are going to use bricks.  So each time that someone has a negative comment or does something to hurt you emotionally, you add a brick to that back pack.  Over time that back pack will become heavy and cumbersome, it acts as an anchor that holds you down in the same position that you are in.  The more negative circumstances that we go through the more we add to that back pack, some of us may have a back pack and then a duffel bag full of bricks that we carry around.  We struggle to lift and carry that back pack with us each day, it becomes a part of us that we feel we have to hold onto.  An example of my own experience with this is that I used to work a job where I would get yelled at all day by customers and other employees, over time I began to think that maybe I was the problem a...

Have you ever seen or have been a part of putting marks on your wall to show your growth as a kid?  Do you remember the excitement you received when you saw just how much you were growing?  After a while, you quit marking the wall because you reached a certain point where you either stopped growing or you lost interest in the subject, however those marks remain on the wall.  Those marks on the wall represent a time in your life where you were growing and you were learning.  What has changed for you now to the point where you may have quit growing?  I know for myself it is my circumstances that have blocked me in the past, but as of now I am working on moving past what I can see in the present and have learned to look forward to the future.  That is part of my growth with this journey we call life.  This in my opinion is one of the most difficult processes we can learn.  It is easy to get complacent in life and just settle where you are, but you a...

Many days I feel like an outsider when I am around most people.  I know that the people who know me will say that that statement is not true, but I hide it well.  As most people with a depression and or anxiety disorder often do, we become good at perceiving that everything is fine, when it could not be.  When I was in high school, I lived near a concert venue that would bring in all of my favorite bands, I even bought a ticket one time and my friend and I drove the 45 minutes to get there and I saw the line and I immediately started to panic to myself.  I simply could not do it, I could not go into the concert venue because of the crowd.  I looked at my friend and informed him that I couldn't go in, that I didn't want to see the show.  He did not know why I said what I said, but I do believe that he understood.  Many of you would read this and think, "why would you buy a ticket then?"  Well the answer to that is simple, you have to start somewhe...

Have you ever sat back and watched while someone else accomplished their dreams?  Have you ever wished that was you?  Has one of your friends accomplished something amazing and you appear happy for them on the outside but on the inside you are steaming with jealousy?  We have all been there, but why let it stop you?  Why would we want to just live a life of complacency, when we can have a life full of joy and accomplishment.  I know that many times in life we face circumstances that we cannot control, it happens I understand that, but those situations don't have to determine who you are and what your future will look like.  Sometimes we put up walls so high that they seem impossible to get over, but if you look carefully there is a crack.  A crack that will lead you through that wall and lead you to somewhere you never thought you could accomplish.  I know many times we let our past events dictate our reactions to situations but should we try to ...