Messed Up - Part 2

I want to help my friends and those who have suffered depression like I have.

I've made the experience, and I know that there are things that can help you through a horrible night of monsters in your head. First of all: give your monster a name. Winston Churchill called his bipolar disorder to be a "black dog" for example. If the thing inside your head has a name and is no longer a phantom, it decreases the fear of the thing itself, because you know what you face. It's no longer a nameless shadow. You can see the monster now and can discover its weakness. You can curse about it, or tell the thing to leave you alone if it makes you feel better.
If you decide on opening up to a friend, ask them if it's okay if you call them if you feel horrible again.

Valerie: When I had one of my biggest breakdowns in my whole life, I had a friend talking me through the night, and he helped me so much.

I'd also like to bring up the Butterfly project. It helped me resisting the urge to self-harm. My friend Valerie, co-author of this blog post, first told me about it. She told me she drew butterflies for her friends who helped her, and it made her happy too. I told my friend Amna about it and she drew a cat on her arm and named it Jani, after me.

Valerie also did some research and gathered a list of natural anti-depressants, which I would like to share with you.

ANTI-DEPRESSION

FOOD:

1.     Coconut

2.    Greek yogurt

3.     Apples

4.    Dark chocolate

5.    Banana

6.    Grapefruit

7.    Berries (blue, black)

8.     Walnuts

9.    Honey

10. Cashews (2 handfuls per day)

11.    Pumpkin seeds

DRINKS:

1.     Orange juice

2.    Green tea

SCENTS AND OILS:

1.     Grapefruit

2.    Cedar wood

3.     Blue cypress

HABITS:

1.     Sleep enough

2.    Exercise

3.     Eat healthy

·       Omega 3 acid

·       Low fat

4.    No caffeine

5.    No alcohol

6.    Find a way to express yourself

7.    Vitamin B

Guys… I’ve told you all about depression and its reasons and how to help yourself and your friends, but now it’s time for a personal message from me.

I know the pain. I know the yearning to cease existing and the desire to die. I know the fruitless efforts to be happy. I know the feeling of thinking I’m not pretty enough or not good enough t be in this world, to feel like an alien that does not belong anywhere.

I know.

I want you to look at yourself in the mirror and find at least ONE thing you like about yourself. Start loving it. Every morning, find one thing you are proud of about yourself – your eyes, your skin tone, your laugh, your taste in music, your hair, your dreams or anything. You feel like you’re an alien that doesn’t fit in anywhere? WELCOME TO MY WORLD! That’s been my situation since forever. But today, I like myself for that. I like being different. Today, I say “Don’t call me weird. I prefer the word eccentric!” I’ve understood that me being myself has brought so much light into people’s lives. You can’t predict or expect these thigs, but you never know what you are actually capable of just by being who you are in all its rawness. Start loving yourself. You need to… You’re the only one in this world who knows yourself in and out, and you need to marvel at how far you’ve come. Marvel at your strength – you are still alive today. Look at how much you’ve survived!

You’re beautiful.

Hold on to your dreams. They’re worth fighting for. Life has a way of dishing out the unexpected. So wait for the right time.

If you feel like cutting yourself or harming yourself in any way, please, for me, think about this: You are the LAST person in this entire universe who should be hurting yourself. Your body has been entrusted to you and your soul to keep safe, to take care of. You cannot betray yourself this way. Please don’t… You are the last person who should hurt yourself. Don’t do it. You are stronger than this. You know it. Why should you inflict more pain on yourself. The only thing that kept me from suicide and self-harm was fear of pain.

Instead, do what I did. I found an outlet through writing songs and poetry, and it’s made me feel so much better. Don’t just keep the stuff you write to yourself. Share it. Because sometimes it could turn into beautiful pieces of work that could bring tears to people’s eyes. Your feelings matter. They deserve to be known. You are one of tens of millions of people on this earth and one of the products of evolution. There is no mistake. You are the way you are for a reason, and you are just as important a person as anyone else. You matter. To your friends, your family, and the people who know you, you matter.

Consider life a challenge. Push yourself and take on the world, just to come out victorious.

It’s said in Hindu mythology that everyone has a 7 year period of bad luck in their life. Perhaps that’s what you’re going through.  I’ll bet that’s what it is. But listen to me for a minute. LIFE GETS BETTER. I know it, I’ve felt it. I never thought I’d find myself where I am today. But happiness will only find you if you keep searching for it. So smile, be yourself, laugh and make the best of every day.

Some days are bad, I know. Some days you just wonder why you woke up in the morning. But you know what? Every day has a high point and a low point. Focus on the high point, and tell yourself there needs to be balance. Be thankful for the little things, the small happinesses in your life.  You saw something that made you smile. You made your friend laugh. You did well on a test at school. You saw your crush at school today. You saw a butterfly and appreciated nature for a minute. The little things can make such a difference when you appreciate them.

Stress from school can get unbearable at times. The last two years of high school are especially hellish. But good friends will always help you get through it. Ranting helps sometimes. It helps to indulge in books and anime. It helps you forget your own problems and visit another world. Keep an hour a night aside for this, and keep it as a reward fro getting through the day! It’s a relaxation as well as a reward. It helps destress so much!

LAUGH every day. Laugh at something stupid. Laugh at the world. It doesn’t matter, just laugh!  Smile, because you never know how much it could help someone else, and people will do the same for you. BE THE SUNSHINE YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE. And if you can, be the sunshine other people need too. You never know how much good you can do in this world. People will automatically do the same for you, eventually. And this is how we help each other.

I want you to know this. I may not know who you are.  May not know your struggles at all. But regardless of that, I know that each of us were made strong enough to bear whatever pain comes our way. So I’m going to tell you this final message:

HOLD ON. YOU CAN DO THIS. I BELIEVE IN YOU!

*Hugs* I know you will survive, and when you finally start seeing better days, the sun will shine so much brighter. That’s when you’ll know just how strong you are.

Believe in yourself.

I believe in you.

By,

Ranjani and Valerie