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I have had many friends over the years ask me about depression in one way or another and the basic question is always: "Why can't I shake it off; why can't I just kick myself out of this?" closely followed by: "Is it even real or am I just some emo pansy?"
If you've ever tried to answer these questions, it's hard to find the right words. I always start with: YES it is real. NO it won't just go away. PLEASE talk to people about it. Don't hide it until it become far worse. But somehow the right words to really describe how it feels to be depressed are really hard to articulate.
So, I was reading this little article, on CNN of all places, about Stephen Fry being a National Treasure in the UK.
The thing that actually caught my attention though is the quote they use from the book he wrote about suffering from Manic Depression.
"I think of it as being the weather, the point of the weather is that it is not under our control, we can't make it sunny when it's stormy, we can't make it rain when it is dry and hot. But it is also true that it's real.
"The classic mistake is to somehow imagine that it's your fault and that it isn't really there and that if you snap your fingers then the dark clouds will rise." ~ Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry is a very wise man. I want to read his book.
If you've ever tried to answer these questions, it's hard to find the right words. I always start with: YES it is real. NO it won't just go away. PLEASE talk to people about it. Don't hide it until it become far worse. But somehow the right words to really describe how it feels to be depressed are really hard to articulate.
So, I was reading this little article, on CNN of all places, about Stephen Fry being a National Treasure in the UK.
The thing that actually caught my attention though is the quote they use from the book he wrote about suffering from Manic Depression.
"I think of it as being the weather, the point of the weather is that it is not under our control, we can't make it sunny when it's stormy, we can't make it rain when it is dry and hot. But it is also true that it's real.
"The classic mistake is to somehow imagine that it's your fault and that it isn't really there and that if you snap your fingers then the dark clouds will rise." ~ Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry is a very wise man. I want to read his book.
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I completely missed out on an opportunity to see him speak in Melbourne a month ago - I only found out he did the talk the day after, when it was reported on The Age website. And then I missed him again when he did an interview at Melbourne Uni. =(
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I'm waiting for Amazon UK to go on an insane sale to get his book.
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The interview was in the Old Quad - quite a recognizable place at Melb U. ;)
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And his 2 shows at the Regent sold out within hours of the tickets going on sale. A bunch of us were lucky enough to get tickets. Most of what he talked about was in his first autobiography and won't come as a surprise to fans, but I don't think that was the point. The point was to listen to him speak in person! He could've waffled on for another hour and I'd happily sit there and listen to him.
I need a Fry icon...
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(And I can definitely recommend his autobiography! I downloaded the audio version, which he reads, a few months ago. It's really good, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the new one.)
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I only have one problem with so many amazing artistic types like Fry having depression - it makes me feel that I've missed out somehow having the mental illness and not the artistic gifts. When I was first diagnosed I kept waiting for some sort of talent to appear to go along with the depression and it never happened. Bugger.
I've been having a fun few days. Doubling my medication has made me spacey during the afternoons and sleepless at night. Hope that settles down soon!
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