Youthful madness! (Part 1)

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."
-- Helen Keller

The cruelty of this world and the hurt we know that exist within it very often puts young people in a state where even getting up in the morning to face a new day is dreadful. Problems and realities that we are forced to face dampens our spirits and puts us in a mood that even within our selves we don’t understand what is happening. Sudden changes in life that we experience, strains not only our body’s abilities but our mental capabilities. Because at many times we can’t see a way out of these rather outrageous periods, we find ourselves trying to fight not only the evident problems but the hidden emotional feeling within our earthly bodies. 

Many are times people fail to realize just how much pressure is placed on young people in this day and age due to the expectations from family, friends, and the individual’s internal instinct to achieve and to be successful. The competitive and jealous nature of humans, and the fact that many; in other for them to succeed in their own goals will try at all cost to belittle another and make them feel less of themselves.

As humans we are not immune to the advents of death, physical illnesses, sexual, physical or emotional abuse, stressful conflicts within systems, and among family members. Again because no two people are the same, even at work places, schools, religious organizations and friendship circles, and the fact that we often have to go away from our comfort zones to reach our goals, along with financial and educational obligations; the heaviness of life’s weight presents itself. 

These tribulations at many points in our lives force young people into a depressive state, a state where we doubt our abilities to do anything well. Our minds are seemingly slowed down and burnt out to a point of practically being useless. We are often haunted by a desperate feeling of hopelessness and insecurity. There is a persistent feeling of sadness and unfortunately for some the only way out; seems to be to take their own lives. We hear others say that “it’s just for a time, such is life.” Or “be strong, this will help make you stronger.” But of course, they haven’t any real idea of how you as the individual feel, while they are so sure that they do.

They are not the ones feeling the loneliness that you feel even if you are surrounded by thousands of people, or the ones who see what you see every time you close your eyes and fight to sleep. Do they feel the hurt and emptiness that hides itself within the walls of your being? The hurt that you can never fully explain as hard as you may try? Are they the ones experiencing even a certain lose of emotional feeling and numbness, where you feel so out of place and unreal! You feel; what is the point of even existing, if I can’t feel right, can’t concentrate, or find a way out of my hurt and misery?    

Depression my friends, very simply can be defined as the common cold of mental health. It weakens the mind and the body. Just like having a really bad case of the seasonal flu, it may persist with what we can term as an internal fever that eats at you, draining you of your strength and your senses. It takes away your reality and feeds you with illusions. But yet, depression is actually so complex that a simple definition can not be given. 

This complex disease may develop for a variety of reasons. It may come about as a result of abuse; it may also be a case of family inheritance or genetic instability. Women and men as well to a lesser extent might also suffer from depression even after having a baby which most would consider a joyous event.  For others it is just a case of a chemical imbalance were important chemicals needed to help regulate moods are lacking, or in the case of drug addicts, harmful substances interfere with the body’s normal way of regulating moods. And quite frankly, sometimes there is no obvious reason that we can identify right away. 

What we need to know though, is that just like that of the flu it can affect anyone at any age, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or income level. However, unlike the flu there is no injection “flu shot” (as yet) that we can take to prevent it and this is why it is important for us as young people to realize when we or someone close to us is going through a depressive episode and not just in a down mood. Most importantly, we need to keep in mind that as ugly as the world gets, as much affliction as there is, as much darkness and distress that we see; there is also great beauty, there is light and peace and more so it is possible to overcome the challenges of depression!

Queen F.Thomas

All rights reserved.