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This comment is by Jed Diamond on the post “Inside the Prison of My Mind” written by Shawn Henfling.
“Sharing the darkness somehow takes away the terror. Somehow we know if we can get a little distance between ourselves and the enveloping darkness there is hope. I first became acquainted with depression when I was five years old and my father tried to commit suicide. He survived physically, but our life was never the same. I spent much of my adult life running away from my depression, but I could never run fast enough and it always caught up with me.
I thought being a therapist and mental health professional would protect me. It didn’t. Writing kept me alive. My wife, through her loving presence, and her “hard love” persistence that “you’re depressed, damn it. Get some help” helped me break out of the ManBox that told me I have to figure it out myself.
I feel blessed to be able to share my experiences and share the path with others like yourself who have the courage to stay in the game and use our courage and creativity to keep the fires of hope alive, even when the winters of cold emptiness threaten to engulf us.”
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Photo: Geralt/Pixabay