Depression: A Big-Time Challenge

I want to take a minute to tell you all about a challenge that is far bigger than my autism challenge: depression. I get depressed in October, in December, in March, in June and occasionally other months. There are reasons why for all of them: some familial, some school-related, some related to change in scheduling, some related to busyness and stress taking a toll. Realizing this I guess the important thing to do is to recognize it and embrace it when it comes. My Mom said that life ebbs and flows. October is most definitely an ebb month. I get depressed without fail every October sometimes for a week, sometimes for a day, sometimes for half the month to the point when I consider ending it and thinking I can't be happy again (e.g. October 2013). What keeps me going is the fact that I have great support and I have excellent friends, family, and colleagues- if I didn't have them, I'd probably be dead right now because I used to be suicidal and I still have that tendency. For people to say to people "don't be sad" or to say "I'm sorry" depending on what they mean doesn't help. People with depression deal with ebb and flow of emotions and it comes and goes- sometimes stays for months and other times releases in a day. Due to my depression being more rampant in the months that it is I need to eat well, be kind to myself, get in a good sleep routine, etc. to stay on top of my A-Game. And I need to remember that it's OK to be depressed. It's OK to be manic. When I realize that it's fine to be this way every once in a while and that everyone gets the blues on occasion- with some being down for a long time and others recognizing that it only lasts a day or two and while some isn't bad enough to be clinical: 1 in 20 suffer from depression that is bad enough to be clinical. So in other words I'm like 5% of the world and some of the brightest minds. Which puts me in plentiful company as well as in the company of many big-time authors, athletes, and actors- depression isn't bad, it should be talked about more. And to summarize the biggest lesson: you never know who you can help or how you can save a life.