Build Strength, Have Hope, and Overcome Obstacles

February 25, 2018 Off By Deby Jizi

I won’t just survive
Oh, you will see me thrive

– Rise-Katy Perry

As a writing teacher, each semester I have students research issues that are important to them. More and more often, I have students researching mental health issues including depression and anxiety. Time and again when these students present their findings many of them announce, “I have depression (or anxiety) and I always will.” This makes my heart sink.

Then just last week, my daughter Bliss got her copy of Harper’s Bazaar in the mail, and one of her favorite celebrities was on the cover, Selena Gomez. After reading the interview with Gomez, and having heard me lament of my students’ sentiments about mental health issues, Bliss told me that Selena Gomez said that she, too, would always have to deal with depression and anxiety.

“I’ve had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, and I’ve been very vocal about it, but it’s not something I feel I’ll ever overcome. There won’t be a day when I’m like, ‘Here I am in a pretty dress-I won!’ I think it’s a battle I’m gonna have to face for the rest of my life, and I’m okay with that because I know that I’m choosing myself over anything else.”

While I was happy to read that Gomez is focusing on being healthy and her well-being, the above statement still haunted me.

As a young woman I was severely depressed. I didn’t know how to overcome it or what to do. I went to psychologists and even one psychiatrist, but I found little hope, and even became discouraged when the psychiatrist simply gave me three strong medications to take and that was the extent of it. Three days on those drugs proved to me that was not the road I wanted to take.

I desperately wanted help, but it seemed that medication was the only answer I was getting in the end. I suppose if I had found the right magic pill or pills, I would have gone that route, but that didn’t happen, and it doesn’t seem to be happening for many of my students or even celebrities like Selena Gomez.

But there is hope. And there is help. There is new research on the brain that shows no matter how old a person is that the brain can change. It can heal from trauma. There is research on how much diet affects our moods as well. What is important here is to not stop seeking answers.

Even though I struggled off and on for years with severe depression, I chose to not give up the fight to find relief. What I worry about for my students and other young people is that they will stop seeking ways to get well.

Here is where I must announce that I am not a psychologist, and I know that there are differing levels of mental illness. I have been in some really dark places, including contemplating suicide but never going through with it. However, each person’s experience is unique, so it is important to seek professional help if you are feeling despondent or having suicidal thoughts.

Here is a link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you are a friend or family member, or just someone who cares, here is information to help someone who is in a crisis.

If you are reading this, and you or someone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, I want you to build your strength and to have hope. After decades of depression and a few difficult years battling anxiety, I can say that neither of these are chronic issues for me anymore. There is a way out of the darkness.

Below is a TEDx Talk with Rick Hanson, Hard-wiring Happiness. You can also visit my YouTube Channel for more videos to help you on your journey to wellness and well-being.