Depression: This Is What It Looks Like.

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Estimated read time: 3 mins

I have the perfect life...almost.

I've been battling depression for about 9 years. I just can't shake it – but I've learned to live with it. Sometimes it's invisible, hiding, quiet; other times it's in my face, in my bones, and screams like a banshee. It comes and goes.

It's always a part of me, but there are certain times of year when it really torments me. 14th February, 2022 was one such moment.

After one whole year of feeling "well", it suddenly hit me again, and I went into deep depression. Just out of curiosity, I checked my notes, typing ‘Depression’ into the search, and sure enough, the result that appeared was this entry below.

The date of the entry? Exactly ONE YEAR to the day!

14.02.2021

It wasn’t boredom in the sense of having nothing to do. I had plenty of things I could have done, the world was my oyster. For me, it felt more like I was waiting for the main event. I was in a time and place, and it was the last time and place I wanted to be. I was happy, there was a lot to be proud of, things were finally starting to go good, but it all felt so empty. I thought perhaps joining a gym and adopting a more active lifestyle would fill the void – it wouldn’t have done.

I had the perfect life: a beautiful wife, with three children (just like how I pictured them in my dreams), we lived in an incredible home which we built ourselves, in Finland–a magnificent place to live–and yet, I felt empty. Completely and utterly lifeless.

The anxiety inside of my body and mind was paralysing. It kept shaking me and wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t fix myself because I was doing it to myself. The funny thing with any illness is that essentially, you are attacking yourself. You have no control over it, no matter how much you try. You can nurse it, but it takes on a soul of its own – a demon that can't be exorcised.

Eventually, you forget the person you truly are, or ever have been, and you begin to believe that this devil inside of you is not actually an extension of self, but is you.

I don’t like bad people but I feared I was becoming one. I was bitter, jealous, fearful, resentful, reckless, selfish, unsympathetic, unapologetic, unidentifiable from the character I used to be. I never loved myself; I don’t think anyone really does because we’re too flawed and unstable; but I did like who I was. Not that it mattered anymore because I’ll never be the same person. It was like looking back at photos of a family holiday: such a great time but you’ll never go back there again.

Why the hell are you telling us this? It's supposed to be a "branding" newsletter!

My theory about my own depression is that it stems from having a lack of purpose.

But I think I may have found it! And no, it's not Personal Branding.

Last week, I had 15 Discovery Calls with people who approached me to help them build their personal brand.

5 minutes into each call, I realised something: these incredible people–from all kinds of industries, backgrounds, and pasts–all shared the same problem.

It wasn't their LinkedIn page. It wasn't their career. It wasn't even their personal brand.

It was their purpose!

By the end of the calls, things seemed much more clear.

So, what's my purpose? I think it's to help others find theirs. And building strong brands is one way for me to do that.

I'm passionate about it. I'm good at it. People need it.

And for the first time in a decade, I'm happy.

It's as as simple–and as complex–as that.

Struggling to find your purpose?

Check out this post: Find Your Purpose Today!

Or:

Book a Discovery Call with me.

I want to help people become #futureproof through strong branding.

Follow me on LinkedIn, and join me again soon for another edition of?Newsletter for Noobs.

Thanks for reading! ??

David