There are moments when we are all bored. We feel like there is not anything to do and all of our friends are busy. However, that is not being lonely or depressed, there is a difference. Loneliness is defined in the Webster Dictionary as "sad from being apart from other people". I think though that loneliness extends beyond just being sad especially when depression is with it. Loneliness and depression can be around even when you are with people. You can be lonely as well as depressed and still be with people.
I know personally for me this is a vulnerable topic that I don't normally let people into. However, recently my heart wants to speak up more about mental health due to the lack of knowledge that many people hold. I think that as Americans many times we focus on the reality of physical health, but not the holistic health of a person. As people started to voice concern of these being present in my life many times I would beat them down or deny them. I did not want to accept the fact that maybe talking to someone and taking medication for it would be what was best for me. Why? Because I fell into thinking the general stigma that people placed in my life that college kids get stressed and if I thought I had depression and didn't glorify life I was selfish. Saying these out loud now I have realized how goofy they sound. Therefore, I have taken action to try to frame my life in a new way. There are days where I have forgotten to take my medicine and I am reminded that the selfishness is not always controllable. It is in these moments depression becomes real.
We ALL must be fully rounded as humans to feel healthy. Feeling healthy means that we might have a disorder or an illness, but wholly we feel good! Unless you have a mental illness, you won't know what it feels like to expel all your energy to hang out with friends or get out of bed somedays. You won't know what it feels like to have to force your self to eat because you just don't have an appetite. These things are REAL and people who have placed stigmas toward mental health need to know that these things are true.
For people that have excepted their savior as Jesus Christ I have a few things that I do when I feel these deep moments coming. I get out my Bible and I read. It doesn't matter what you read because reading your Bible will remind you that you are NEVER alone. Most importantly though it will remind you that the Lord is still working through you in these moments. Sometimes this isn't a realistic thing though so, surround yourself with community.
