I am what you would probably consider a happy person?

Why am I happy?

Hell if I know.

I don’t have the perfect life. I haven’t achieved all my “dreams”. I have struggles (lots of them). I’ve tried many different business ideas (or schemes) that have failed. Even the tech side of my life isn’t optimum.

Even with all the struggles in life etc. I know that if I had nothing and lived under a bridge. I would be happy and I don’t know why.

But this isn’t about me.

How do you tell someone else how to be happy?

How do you tell the person who says:

I am completely alone. I have friends on Facebook but nobody talks to me i don’t hang out with people. Nobody truly likes me. They say they love you but only so they don’t break their heart. I am alive but have nothing to live for. Not dead but have no point in living. Nobody knows me at all.

or

family will only love you cuz they feel like they have no choice and than grow accustom to this thing people call love. what is love?

I don’t understand depression and I don’t know how to help them. I do realize that it is real. This person is on medication and it is helping but then they say:

i have to take medicine to stay happy. how is that living?

The crappy thing about depression is when you are depressed your friends disappear. This person whom I referenced is not alone and someone is there now.

What I am doing

I’m there for that person and also letting them know I don’t know what to do but just be there for them and to get them help.

You don’t tell them anything to make them happy. You find them the help they need. Drugs, counseling, a shoulder, group therapy. So many other things that you can do that will help them without telling them to change themselves.

You can’t tell someone with depression to be self-reliant. You have to let them know that it is ok to ask for help and not be stoic about it. Let them know you are here to help.

Stuff I have read

I remember seeing a book excerpt of a guy who suffered from anxiety and it caused his depression and I wish I remembered where I saw that. His story was about how he thought he had clinical depression but it was anxiety that caused his depression. He then when on to write a book and i think is also a public speaker. When I saw the write up on this book (or whatever it was) the author referenced a picture of him as a child and in it he looked angry/sullen. But in reality he came to realize he was having and anxiety attack. So if you can think of what this book is let me know.

This post at Pope Hat is also quite eye opening. A full on Type – A criminal defense attorney who has an outwardly “normal,” high-functioning and successful life, but suffers from grave anxiety and depression, and last year it got bad enough that he was hospitalized “voluntarily” for it.

Here are some posts from The Bloggess that also bring some insight.

http://thebloggess.com/2015/05/to-missing-friends-the-ones-lost-the-ones-in-hiding/

http://thebloggess.com/2012/04/depression-lies/

http://thebloggess.com/2012/09/today-and-forever/

DEPRESSION LIES