Welcome to my blog, where I share my experiences of living life with a disability. In this post I will talk about my struggle with depression and how I overcame it.
My Struggle With Depression
My teen years were some of the most difficult years of my life. During these years, I struggled with depression because of the situation I was in. Being in a wheelchair had made my life difficult and I did not handle it well at all. Because of the wheelchair, I was now unable to do most things that other kids my age were doing. I was unable to go and hang out with friends whenever I wanted to because I had to rely on my parents and an accessible vehicle to get around. I was also unable to hang out with my friends at their houses because most of them had stairs. If I wanted to hang out with friends, they would have to come to my house. Most of my friends also played sports so I wasn’t really able to spend time with them because I was obviously unable to play sports. At this time, I wanted nothing more than to have a girlfriend because what teenage boy doesn’t. I have also been girl crazy my whole life. Although I wanted a girlfriend, I wasn’t able to talk to girls because I was self conscious because of my wheelchair. I felt that girls would see my wheelchair and treat me differently with no interest in dating me. During my teenage years, I was also starting to lose almost all of my muscle strength and needed help with basically everything. I had to rely on my parents to help me at home and had to ask someone for help in school. Because of these issues, I felt truly worthless and hopeless. I absolutely hated my life. These feelings I had gave me a completely negative attitude about everything. I would find myself breaking down and crying, telling my mom how hard my life was and how much it sucked. My mom would try to help me deal with my feelings because she is truly the greatest mother ever, but I wouldn’t allow her to. I would become angry with her and begin to yell at her and tell her that she doesn’t really care. I even thought of taking my own life because of how much I despised my life. I felt like it would be best for everyone if my life would just end. My thought was that I would no longer suffer and I wouldn’t be such a burden to my friends and family. I was like this until a friend truly changed my life forever.
Overcoming My Depression
It wasn’t until I was in high school that I was able to better my life and overcome my depression. Everything changed after my good friend, Derek, talked with me and gave me a better outlook on life. Derek also has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and is also in a wheelchair. He had been through the same thing I was going through and encountered the same feelings I was having. He helped me through my issues and told me how to overcome my depression. He told me to focus on the things I can do and not the things I can’t do. He told me that I am not worthless and that my life does matter. He also told me that life is too short and precious to spend it being depressed and angry about the cards you are dealt. Some advice that he gave me was to stay positive and make fun of the situation I was in instead of being down and out about it. Another piece of advice that Derek gave me about staying positive was to spend time with friends. I wasn’t really able to do this before but he gave me the idea to have my friends drive my van. This was obviously much later in high school when my friends were 16. By doing all of these things, I was able to have a positive outlook on life and overcome my depression. I give a lot of credit to Derek for helping me turn my life around, but I couldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for all of the support from my friends and family. I am so grateful that I was able to overcome my depression so I can use my experiences to help other people facing the same challenges.
How Can You Get Help?
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, please know that there is help available. All you need to do is find someone to talk to. It can be anyone from a friend or family member to a professional like a counselor or therapist. I realize that things can be hard to talk about but you will feel 100 times better once you do. You will also feel better if you stay positive and never give up no matter how hard it is. If you are thinking of ending your own life, I just want you to know that your life is completely worth it. And if you do have thoughts of suicide, please get help as soon as possible. To get immediate help, please call 1-800-273-8255.
How Can You Get Involved?
If you would like to help spread the word to people in need, please don’t hesitate to share this post. You can also share your experiences with overcoming depression in the comments below to let your story be heard to help others. If you are new to these experiences and are looking for help, feel free to ask any questions in the comments and I will help you as best as I can. You can also send any questions to me at zach@zjmotivation.com. If you would like to reach out to me on social media, feel free to connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I would love to hear from you!
Thank you for reading this post and learning about how I overcame my struggle with depression! I hope you enjoyed and I hope to see you again soon!
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Keep Rollin!
Check out my last post: https://www.zjmotivation.com/post/wheelchair-transition
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