I don’t know if there’s a lot of Writers out there who suffer from depression, but I am one of them. I am not clinically depressed but more situational. I guess it started when I was in College and it comes and goes. As a Writer it can be crippling at times and has caused me to leave a lot of writing projects unfinished or even forgotten. Sometimes it has even driven me to want to give up writing altogether but there must be a way to combat this evil condition that wrecks a lot of people’s lives leaving us feeling like nothing matters anymore. Everything matters.

When I’m depressed that voice in the back of my head decides that it’s his time to torment me and make me feel like I can’t write worth a damn. Or do anything right for that matter. I admit there have been times that I listened and agreed with him. Laid down and wallowed in my own personal hell. And let’s admit that we all do it at some point but that doesn’t make us bad people, or weak, or crazy. It makes us human.

Everyone who suffers from depression goes through periods of feeling less than who you are. It’s normal. What’s not normal is to allow it to win. We must get back up when it knocks us down. If we don’t we might as well die because the life we’ve been given won’t be worth shit if we give up. I’m writing this because I am depressed right now. Right this very minute and I am doing everything I possibly can to continue doing everything that I need to do. Including writing this blog. If I don’t who will? My book has been neglected over the past week and it’s nobody’s fault but my own. It’s also my job to get back on the damn horse and finish it.

Depression is one of the hardest conditions to beat. I’ve been battling it long enough to know that there is no way to get rid of it completely however there are ways to control it to some extent. Such as staying healthy, eating right and getting plenty of exercise and plenty of sleep. Staying close to the people you love and not spending too much time being isolated also helps. Helping others also makes your life feel like it has purpose. And writing even when you don’t feel like it, pushing yourself to go the extra mile makes you feel like you have accomplished something. Because you have. You beat the depression that has crippled you for that moment. Even though it may come back again and let’s be realistic, it will come back; do the same thing all over again to combat it. Or do whatever works for you. Just don’t let it win. And before you know it, that book that you’ve been writing only a paragraph at a time for the past year…will be finally completed. Celebrate this small milestone with your favorite cup of coffee or a nice glass of Champaign. Whatever makes you feel good inside. You earned it. Until next time…