I was just wondering, how did you feel when your doctor suggested going on anti-depressants? My therapist of several months suggested it to me today and while logically I know it's probably a good idea, I can't help but feel like I'm broken, you know? Like, I'm worse than I thought I was. Did you feel like this or know anyone who felt something similar?
First of all, Depression Lies. It tells you that youâre weak and unworthy and terrible and that youâre never going to be able to get out from under it.
Depression lies like that because it wants to protect itself and keep on controlling your life.
Depression is a dick, and I want to encourage you to listen to your therapist and let him or her help you.
Now I want you to imagine that you have a fever, and your whole body hurts, and youâve been coughing up all sorts of awful gunk for days. Youâre miserable, so you go to the doctor.
The doctor says, âoh, you have this terrible infection in your body, so Iâm going to give you some medicine to help your body get better, and some other medicine to help you not suffer while your body works on that.â
Imagine that you then say, âI donât want to do that, because I feel sort of broken if I take those medications. I feel like Iâm weak or something, and if I take those medications that you know will help me feel better, Iâm admitting that my body needs some help so I can stop suffering. I think Iâll keep on suffering and hope it gets better.â
Or you go to your doctor because youâve been feeling crummy and she runs some tests and she says, âWell, it turns out that you have diabetes, but youâre in luck! You can take some medicine, and itâll treat it. Youâll probably have to take it for a long time, maybe even your whole life, but youâll get well and feel better!â
Do you say, âNo, I think Iâll just deal with it,â and continue suffering?
Of course not! You would treat any illness with medication if you could, and youâd put a cast on a broken leg and walk with crutches if you needed to, because walking on a broken leg really really really hurts, and you donât need to suffer through that pain!
Mental illness is exactly the same as a physical illness. Your body has something thatâs out of whack â in our case, itâs how our brains handle neurochemicals and stuff â and thereâs medication that can help us help ourselves feel better.
Youâre not broken, and youâre not weak, and if youâre now thinking that youâre worse than you thought you were? Well, thatâs really awesome, because it means that you recognize that your brain needs some help to get healthy, and your doctor is there to help you do that.
It takes courage to take the chance on medication, and the first one you try may not work, because brains are all different and incredibly complicated, but something will work, and you will feel better, and you will be so glad that you took the step to take care of yourself.
Please check in with me in a month or so, and let me know how youâre doing.
tangentwithtanner
turnnoffyourmind
vaporwave
