One of our goals at My Resilience Gym is to provide connections to resources for dealing with various kinds of adversity. Depression is one of the most common challenges in today’s world. Whether you have encountered depression yourself or have a friend or loved one who is struggling with it, it may be helpful to know that there are many resources available to help you gain perspective and come up with ideas for what to do.
In this entry I would like to spotlight a few interesting pieces I have come across that you may find helpful, each drawing on the wisdom of people who have experienced depression themselves.
This collection of comics that capture the frustrations of depression is unusual, and I like it because it represents the insights of people who have been there and found a way to tell the story. As the editor says, “The comics featured here can not and do not represent everyone’s experiences. But there are some things they do capture. Part of the difficulty of depression is that it is a pain that is unnameable. Sometimes, art is the best way to capture the things we do not know how to say.”
This blog entry from a successful consultant, researcher, and teacher about his own depression is a courageous and compassionate account of his experience, and how he has decided to use his insights to make the world a warmer place. “It took me years to finally get the help I needed though I am not — nor ever will be — cured. Part of my journey personally and professionally is to appreciate that if I want to be part of the solution, I need to recognize that I have a direct relationship with the problem. If I think the world is a cold place, then I need to do something about it and I now know that I need to kindle more fires. I need to share my experience.”
And this post from a person who describes herself as having struggled with clinical depression since she was a child offers a list of suggestions for showing love to a person with depression that she has compiled from her own experiences. She says, “If you have a partner or are close to someone who struggles with depression, you may not always know how to show them you love them. One day they may seem fine, and the next they are sad, distant and may push you away. It is important that you know that as a person who is close to them and trusted by them, you can help your friend or partner have shorter, less severe bouts of depression.”
These resources are not in any way meant to be a substitute for professional assistance and treatment. They are simply spots of light in what can sometimes feel like a dark world.
If you have resources you’d like to share, please do. I will continue to gather them and post collections periodically.