It is okay

It is okay, to say: “I have a terrible cold, I cannot come to work for the next days.” – But how about the following??

?“My fears, worries and sadness don’t let me sleep at night, and at morning I feel so tired and paralyzed, I can’t get out of bed and work today.”?

?Despite the rising awareness of mental health struggles in the media, it still seems to be a tabu to talk about depression in the work environment.?

?But the best thing everyone can do is: Talk about it! It’s nothing to be ashamed of, depression is a disease. You cannot see it, you cannot touch it, but affected people are suffering from it.?

?Hi, my name is Vanessa. I am a FRAMOSian, and since my teenage years I have been fighting recurring depression.??

?Today, I’m totally fine talking about my struggles because I learned how to treat my inner demons. But it was a long journey to get here.?

Some years ago, I had a severe depressive episode. I ignored my lighter symptoms until my body pulled the emergency break and gave me physical symptoms which I couldn’t ignore anymore. When I went to the doctor’s and she asked me, how I generally felt, I suddenly burst out into tears. That was the start of an 8 months’ absence of work because of mental health issues. At that time, I felt overwhelmed by the tiniest events. Doing a 3 minute’s phone call to arrange doctor’s appointments felt as exhausting as running a marathon. And even worse: when I wanted to take care of myself and do something nice and relaxing, I felt so guilty, that I got panic attacks. The only thing I wanted to do, was lie in bed and sleep. Because who sleeps doesn’t have to care about anything.?

Finally, I managed to do therapy, learned how to better cope with my struggles, set up emergency strategies for myself, when I recognize early symptoms, and I can proudly say I have a happy fulfilled life worth living.?

Since then, I learned a lot about depression. There are so many types of it, everyone experiences it differently, and so many people are affected.??

And that’s why I suggested FRAMOS to support the European Alliance Against Depression this year with a donation. It is an international non-profit organization with several European members and more than 100 regional network partners. Their main goal is to improve care and optimize treatment for patients with depressive disorders and to prevent suicidal behavior.?

?If you want to learn more about depression or are affected yourself, I highly recommend the Alliance’s online platform iFightDepression.com.?

?If you are experiencing depression and looking for support, you can find available services in a range of countries on their website. https://www.eaad.net/help?

?If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts - please immediately call the emergency number in your country or look for support in your country via this website: https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp??

#FRAMOS #FRAMOSian #inspiration #depression #journey