Wouldn't it be cool if we lived in a world where this was relevant to adult life? I don't mean to sound harsh - but as some one who regularly suffers from depression, this is an unrealistic, feel-good fridge magnet. I have the luxury of having a few sick days I can take when I want to crawl behind the couch and die. But that's a LUXURY. How many Walmart employees can take some time to nurse their 'broken ankle' souls? Really... This is a nice sentiment. I truly hope that it provides some solace for some who suffer. But it just sends me deeper down the hike. In the U.S., there are no (or limited)protections for the depressed. A broken ankle gets you a cast and crutches. It might even give you a temp tag in your car for closer parking. Hell, your boss might accommodate your workspace or schedule. But you can't usually see depression. I JUST had this conversation this week with a friend. It's not the depression that is the hard part. It's having to fight through a regular day WHILE being depressed that is overwhelmingly exhausting. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Good luck out there. Stay safe.
> A broken ankle gets you a cast and crutches. It might even give you a temp tag in your car for closer parking. Hell, your boss might accommodate your workspace or schedule. But you can't usually see depression. It's kind of a weird dichotomy, being since that depression is considered a mental illness. If you're hurt or have the flu, people tell you to take time off and get better. They tell you to take your time and are really accepting. However, if you have depression, you just get a "We all feel bad, just suck it up." Hell, I don't even think therapists and stuff are covered under a lot of insurance plans (not exactly sure). The thing that sucks is that a lot of types of depression are more debilitating, over an extended period of time, than breaking an ankle or an arm. A broken wrist makes part of your body unusable for a couple months, but clinical depression can make a person miserable for years to decades. Some die depressed. Yet, most sufferers don't get treatment. In reality, a depressed person is treated as whiny or lazy, but if suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in America, then there's got to be something more than sucking it up to it - right? It would be great if we could get treatment, without getting stigmatized.
I get to hear "quit feeling sorry for yourself" from my mother. And she's the resoundingly better parent. On the scale of my depression I'm just listless, which for some would be morbidly depressive, but I've put a moratorium on dealing with family. Or anyone who isn't paying me or selling me something. My boss is actually the most understanding person I know. I took 3 weeks off work to try to kill myself then go to the hospital and didn't get fired. I wrote this during that time I really can't believe I did that during that time period. I think part of the reason major creatives are prone to depression is knowing how to work hard. When you're depressed everything is hard work and art, writing, music are all really hard work. Calm seas don't make good sailors.
It seems the sentiment above was meant for a different context. It would be a powerful statement in the context of attempting to educate non-depression sufferers about the emotional and physical burden of depressive episodes. Although to someone with personal experience with the disease would recognize this as a simplification, I think that is the very thing that makes it digestible by a wider audience. Education on this disease is badly needed if one day a depressive episode can be viewed in the same category as a physical injury.
Totally grok what you're saying. Yeah, in an idealist sense, it's all well and fine for me to take it easy and slow with med readjustments, no stress, just one day at a time, focus on my health, getting better, push everything away, you're safe in this moment, etc. The downside is, say, being out of work and about to lose a place to live. I wish life had an easy button.
The Mother(28) of the kid(10) that my boyfriend(34) is raising, left him for a guy(24) ten years younger and got pregnant. She isn't working to care for either of her kids(10 and 2), but that guy broke his foot a few weeks ago. He didn't get a cast, because he had to go back to work in a factory. I think those guys would be much happier, if they left her, and joined a cult that took all their money.