I’ve been away for quite some time now. There are lots of reasons why hobby bloggers come and go, but most of them boil down to; real life gets in the way and if a something is going to slip, it’s going to be a hobby.
- Kids need raising.
- Jobs need doing.
- Books want reading.
- Other hobbies vie for our attention.
I suppose that I could tell you this is what happened to me, but to do so would be a bald-faced lie. I fell off the daily posting wagon for one simple reason; I struggle with depression.
There, I said it. After all this time, I’ve come out and said it.
Hi, my name is Andrew, and I struggle with depression.
I’ve struggled with depression for a long time. A moment ago I said, “After all this time…” and I mean that, because it is a time measured not in months, or even years, but in decades. In fact, my struggles with depression have been one of the most powerful influences in my life, affecting my education, career and family choices in ways both large and small.
After finally admitting out loud this struggle, I took the time to reflect on my life, and my struggles, and came to realize that the zigs and zags of my path through life can be charted against my depressions; when they occurred, how bad they were, and how well (or poorly) I handled them.
But that is a story for another day.
For today, I will say this, the confluence of events over these past 16 months brought this struggle to a head, and for the third time in 40 years, the depression almost won. In fact, this might be the closest the depression has ever come to achieving final victory.
But, again, that’s a story for another day.
Again, for today, let me simply say, I’m making another pivot here at standupright. From posture, to healthy living, to ergonomics and remote working, to success, and now to talking about depression and mental health.
This will be the deepest and most personal period yet on this little blog. I hope that you find something in it to enlighten you, if only a little.
