Reaching out from the shadows

I was interviewed recently by psychotherapist Renisher Roberts from New York. (You can watch the full interview at the bottom of this piece). We covered topics related to general life, love, work and mental health. The discussion was fun, inspiring and evocative.

Part of the conversation revolved around a time of depression I went through many years back. As Renisher pushed into this space and applauded me for reaching out to others when in my darkest period, I realised just how difficult that was at the time.

Depression is isolating. Everything within wants to curl up, hide and stay in the dark. In my case, heavy black clouds descended with a big wet blanket thrown over the soul, accompanied by suicidal flashes. The last thing I wanted to do was be with people. But this is the thing: in personal darkness and isolation, we need the light of others—we need connection. Reaching out to others from the shadows is critical if we are to walk out into the light.

My psychologist at the time was someone I reached out to, along with a couple of others. Sharing the journey, even if only with one person, is a tremendous leap forward in the healing process.

It’s also important, especially at work, to be attuned to others, to check-in and ask how they are travelling. It provides an opportunity for those who are struggling (remembering isolation happens in a crowd, too) to open up, and discover someone is there and they care.

Ray

I mentioned in a recent post about a mental health support program called RISE, initiated by Master Builders SA. It’s a free service for all those in the building and construction industry within South Australia. For more information click here and to schedule a free session, click here.

PS. The podcast link is below, and for the discussion on depression, go to 18.00

Other key moments include:

• Discussion about managers 6.37
• About my writing work 12.54

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MmpzzwqXvI