A little over a week ago, Anthony Bourdain, a famous chef and well traveled lover of diverse cultures and food took his own life. He lived and struggled with depression with little knowledge to the general public. Days before his death, it was Kate Spade, a designer and business mogul who had taken her life while struggling and living with depression. Depression is a chronic condition that plays heavily on an individual's mood and behavior. In most cases, depression is coined, the silent killer, because it slowly kills those who live with it till they eventually take their own lives. And mostly, all these take place with little or no knowledge to close friends and family members. Depression knows no race, no social class, gender, religion etc. The passing of Bourdain raised an intimate discussion between my mom and I where she learned that I had struggled with suicidal ideations that stemmed from a depressed state during my teen years. I had multiple times when I had suicidal thoughts or ideations and actually tried to take my life. Mental health is an important aspect of human life and needs to be taken seriously. But how did i beat depression or suicidal ideation? The two things that helped me beat depression and suicidal ideations and are highly important things to me till date are God and my love of writing. Discovering God and bouncing upon my gift in conveying ideas and thoughts on paper helped me beat depression and suicidal ideations. So what's my philosophy on depression? My philosophy on depression is that when struggling with depression, it is important to seek refuge in something higher than yourself. It could be something such as choosing to volunteer at an orphanage, children's hospital, your faith ( as I did) and so on. This does not mean that you should not seek medical help when faced with depression. However it means involving one self with something of a higher calling that gives you purpose and in some rekindles a flame in those dark places that make you feel down and low. My philosophy on depression or suicidal ideation may not be totally accurate but it sure helped me beat it for 15 years because I discovered that I have a purpose in life besides getting by life ordinarily. It is important to note that when you're feeling low, it is important to seek things of higher nature. Mental health is just as important as your physical health. Stay healthy. Stay safe. Discover your true purpose because you're not ordinary. You're extra ordinary and you do have a purpose in life that still needs to be discovered.
If you have read any of my blogs, you would know how I always emphasize the importance of relationships in our existence. Relationships not only gives meaning to our existence, but it also drives our daily routine and life. Our survival, adaptation and ability to exercise our emotions all stem from our engagements in different relationships. Therefore, it is safe to say that relationships play a key role in our lives. Every relationship we form with people is imperative to our growth as an individual, because those relationships in my many ways depicts who we are as a person. Our relationships with others may be important but the most important relationship we could ever form is the one we have with ourselves. Although, this is the most important relationship and the one that requires most of our energy and intentions towards building, it is the one we shy away from the most. We go into relationships with many people without actually having a proper understanding of who we are as a p...
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