” We have the power to begin the world over again.”   —Thomas Paine

Creative people do tend to suffer from depression more than the remainder of the population.  There are ways to cope with depression.  Creating new works and then receiving acknowledgement for that work is one of the best ways for a creative soul to deal with depression.
I have written, many times, about the importance of finding meaning in our lives, and since many of us are writing blogs, it is safe to say that we all have some creativity within us.

If you suffer from depression, there is help.  Every city, every state and nearly every country has at least one suicide hotline.

If you are in treatment, and find that this is not helping, you can make a change.  Find a new therapist or doctor.  Don’t give up.

In time, the medical community will find a way to treat this chronic disease so that you can live with it, without being in pain and suffering every day.

As a sufferer of clinical depression which is, in my case, both genetic and the result of trauma, I can tell you that I have been working since I was a child to combat this disease.  I have used therapy, medication, and alternative treatments such as meditation, and I will say that I am, for the most part, doing fairly well.  There are bad days, but fewer than before.

Just as a diabetic suffers with their disease and must keep an eye on blood levels and take the prescribed medication, so do people with depression or any mental health issue have to keep an eye on their emotional state and, in many cases, stay on medication.  Part of this is knowing how and when to stay away from the toxic people in your life.

I want to say that  there is no shame in depression or other forms of mental illness. If you are depressed and there are people in your life who put you down or judge you for this, you have to know that this is their issue and not yours.  Depression is a disease.  The best way to answer the people who attack or belittle you is to function to your very best ability every day.  If there is a day when you cannot, or if you can function a little less well, that’s all right.  Curing or even treating any disease is a process, and as anyone who suffers from chronic illness knows, there is a point of pride from making it through the hard days, the bad days.

If you feel that you are beyond help, if you feel that you cannot go on, DON’T GIVE UP.  There IS a way.  It might take some time to find it for you, but there is a way.

Sometimes, all it takes is a reason to smile, and the realization that sometimes you have to decide to think about the good in your life, the things you can be grateful for.  An exercise that many people use is to start a journal, and list 5 things, each day, that you are grateful for:  the rain in your garden; the mail brought you no bills and a card from a dear friend; the clouds are making interesting shapes; the sun peaked out for 5 minutes on a grey day.    A gratitude journal, kept near you, can help remind you of what is good in your life, the things you have been grateful for in the past, and can perhaps remember to be grateful for again.