Whatever it takes

Lately on the site, there have been a lot of posts regarding death, suicide and the desire to just be done. With life, with pain, with a reality that doesn’t ever seem to change. You don’t have to be clinically depressed to understand that feeling. I think if you walked into any room, anywhere in the world and asked people to be honest and raise their hand if they have felt at any point in time like giving up, to wish that they could just close their eyes and have the end of their story play out and the credits roll, at least half of the audience would raise their hand. If everyone would be honest, the number would be almost one hundred percent.

I go through a lot of depression, and I know other people do, too, but I have an outlet that so many people don’t. If you have that inside of you and can’t get it out, what do you do?
-Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish has her music to help with her depression, that is her outlet and her way of processing her feelings. There has to be an outlet, you cannot bear all the pain, darkness and sadness alone, it is too heavy a burden to shoulder alone. We are not meant to operate on our own, humans, since the beginning of time have lived and worked together as a means of survival. Our lives, in this very modern age, can mean that a lot of our interactions with other humans may come about via the internet, rather than in real life. This is especially true as we continue to navigate living in a pandemic, but regardless of the medium, we need people in our lives. Someone to talk things through with, someone who will listen, someone that will help us see the light at the end of the tunnel when we can’t see it ourselves.

That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end.
-Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation

So what can we do when we see others post about wanting to end their life or just not wake up? It is a hard thing to read, it is an even harder thing to post. But that is what our site is all about, it is a place to safely spill all the feelings on the inside into a little box and then, you hit “post” and suddenly the burden of carrying this alone eases.

It takes a lot of courage to post something this personal, this dark and scary, so instead of judging, applaud the bravery it took to be this honest and open. To those posting, support is such an important part of self care and mental health care, so you are already well on your way towards making a change in your life. Therapy, counseling, medication, it can all sound overwhelming and very expensive, but like the Reel we posted on Instagram yesterday stated, “What if we Tried before Giving up?” don’t give up before giving these tools a real shot. Even if something didn’t work in the past for whatever reason, today is a new day, there are thousands of therapists to choose from, both in office and online and there are possibly new drugs and insights that weren’t available the last go round.

Depression on my left. Loneliness on my right. They don’t need to show me their badges. I know these guys very well. -Elizabeth Gilbert

For most of us, our dark days range from manageable to extremely difficult, we do what is necessary and we push forward. So it may seem like someone who posts something this extreme has to be making it up, but when darkness falls and seems to choke your very soul, coming onto a support group takes a lot of courage and that courage deserves support, not pity or grandstanding.

If you know someone who’s depressed, please resolve never to ask them why. Depression isn’t a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather.
-Stephen Fry

The whys aren’t important, but the whats are, "what can we do?", "what might help?", "here is what helped me." Support is a gift, a gift to give, a gift to receive. We thank each and every one of you for being a part of this magical site. Your trust and support is what keeps us motivated. As always, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lives and a witness to your progress.

Wishing you all nothing but the very best,
Team SG