Introversion vs. depression

As summer begins I really start to notice how introverted I am. Or how depressed. I can't tell sometimes. I know it's best for my depression to not stay cooped up in my house alone too much but my introversion tells me time alone is great. So it's hard to tell if I don't feel like being around people because I feel awkwardly depressed and I forget how to be social or I feel introverted and ..forget how to be social. Usually being social feels alien to me anyway.

The sun lifts my spirits but it also makes me very critical of my depressive nature. It nudges me and casually asks "If you like the sun so much, why aren't you happier? Shouldn't you be out with groups of friends, you know..enjoying the summer by doing summer things?" I shrug and slither away from most opportunities that arise in the summer just because of my confusion. I don't know what I should be doing so I choose to do nothing.

Doing nothing isn't always fun either. In fact I've gotten quite bored of doing nothing these last few years. I don't seem to be able to stick to precise plans and I get thrown off when something is last minute. Being thrown off isn't necessarily a bad thing though,  I've come to realize. It gives my brain less of a chance to over think things. So if I have to choose between the lesser of the evils this summer, I really hope I can choose the latter.

'Cause f*ck it life, itself is unpredictable. Your emotions just the same. My emotions confuse the sh*t out of me most of the time anyways.

When you are your own antagonist

That evil villain, the annoying obstacle in that book or movie that you boo. The savior, the protagonist, the "good" guy. It's funny having the choice to be either one of those guys, the "good" or "bad" and choosing to be your own enemy. The opposing force that just won't let your story go the way you would like it to. Self sabotage is what it is.
I've never liked drama, despite my story so far but in me I have the potential to be the protagonist and the antagonist and I have always opted to be both. I don't really want to be, it just seems to happen. Then the whole self fulfilling prophecy thing happens and the good in me is destroyed by the bad, just temporarily but long enough to be left weakened and dizzy from the climactic scene in my story.
This is all well and good in movies or stories but when your life is a struggle between the two it is all too real. There are no rewind buttons and we don't have the luxury to pause and contemplate for as long as we want sometimes. Life can move pretty fast.
What we can do is realize that, yes, we have the potential to be our own worst enemy but we also have the potential to be our own hero. Our story isn't over and our hero is not dead.

I'm just going to leave this here

This is what depression feels like. This girl nailed it. I have been feeling this to the extreme the last few days so unsurprisingly I can't seem to gather my thoughts enough to write a blog entry of my own. I have, however, felt a sense of comfort and understanding from this blog and I hope that I can pass this along.

Thank you for your blog!

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.ca/2013/05/depression-part-two.html

If it ain't broke

Self improvement is something many of us strive for. But I think we all feel too much pressure to "perfect" ourselves. No one is perfect but we are sold images of these perfect people with perfect lives and we look at ourselves and think something must be missing. It makes us doubt our ability to be human. I've actually caught myself worrying about just being human and I had to give my head a shake because it turns out I already am human and have been since I was first born so I must be pretty damn good at it because i'm still alive!

As broken as we may feel sometimes, we are still alive. It's not over and you are not as fragile as you may feel. You are strong. Keep striving but remain you at the core. What you're doing, who you are, is enough. You've managed this far so as the old saying goes.."If it ain't broke!"

Oh sadness,you can be such a downer

Sadness can make people uncomfortable. When others are sad we may feel helpless and guilt ridden over being unable to lift their spirits. When we are sad we may distract ourselves to the best of our ability. But it's only natural to feel sad once in a while. And giving in and really feeling that sadness can be a weight off of our shoulders. Running away from it is always detrimental to my emotional well being as I end up numbing myself completely then feeling an overall sense of subtle heaviness.

So often we feel the need to put on a happy face. I know myself, up until recently when asked how I was,  would always use the default reply "Good. You?" Then one day when asked how I was by an acquaintance, I caught myself and said "Actually..I'm not good." I didn't dump all of my problems on them but I didn't have to lie and put on a fake smile. They took me by surprise when they looked me in the eye and said "Thank you for your honesty."  I immediately felt a stronger connection to them and that inspired me to start being more honest about my feelings not only to others but to myself as well. Of course it is a work in progress but i'm getting better.

Life can be difficult and no one has it completely together. So it's nice to share in each other's misery once in a while because you know what .. we ALL feel down from time to time. It won't last forever. So let's really feel it and not be afraid. We can then let go and begin to heal.