“Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past, even while we attempt to define it.“ Charles Caleb Colton (1824).
Our lives consist of an infinite number of variables. In fact, it might even be safe to say that our lives are one big variable. Time is a variable, health another, even our moods are variables. There comes a point where we begin to wonder if there actually is anything we control in our lives… the people we fall in love with, our emotions, our reactions are yet more examples of things we can’t control.
So what is the definition of a variable? A variable is something that is not consistent or has a fixed pattern; it’s liable to change and adapt.
We walk around believing and claiming that we have all the time in the world to do this, and that, and everything under the sun, but is that really true? Time is an uncertainty. Are we able to control it? No we aren’t. Time is limited and can change at the drop of a hat. So what I say is; live your life and make every second count. Tell those you love how you feel, what they mean to you, and try to spend as much time as you can with them. Don’t take it for granted that they will be around forever for you to lose that valuable minute not telling them you love them, admire them, or even what traits it is that you admire and look up to. Because if you were to lose that crucial minute and have the opportunity to tell them taken away from you, what would you do? How would you feel?
Would you say you feel depressed? When people feel great sadness, grief or bereavement, they instantly associate it with depression but in truth, they are not one of the same. The loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or the ending of a relationship are all difficult experiences for a person to endure, and therefore normal to develop feelings of sadness or grief in response to such situations. But being sad is not the same as being depressed. You see, the grieving process is natural and unique to each individual. Although it does share a few features of depression, it also differs in other very significant ways. For example, 1) when experiencing grief, the painful feelings tend to come in waves, often intermixed with more positive memories. With depression, mood, interest and/or pleasure are decreased for the majority of two weeks. *Note that for a diagnosis of depression to occur, the symptoms must last a period of at least two weeks consecutively. 2) in grief, self-esteem is usually maintained whereas in depression, feelings of worthlessness and self-loathing are commonly present. And 3) in grief, thoughts of death may arise when thinking about “joining” their deceased loved one, whereas with depression, their thoughts are focused on ending their lives due to feeling worthless, undeserving of living, or being unable to cope with the pain of depression.
Having said that, grief and depression are able to co-exist. For some, the grief caused by the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or being the victim of a physical assault/domestic violence or a major disaster can lead to depression. When grief and depression co-occur, the grief experienced is more severe and lasts longer.
Several factors that play a role in depression are; biochemistry, genetics, personality, and environmental factors. In reference to environmental factors, we are referring to situations such as continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty.
There are a number of medical conditions that can mimic symptoms of depression as well, such as thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies or even a brain tumour. It is therefore of upmost importance that these are ruled out first.
So, to sum things up, don’t let a minute go by without telling those you love how you feel about them and what they mean to you, telling your friends what you like and admire about them, giving your family members that long heart-warming embrace and generally spending time with those that mean something to you.
Depression can affect anyone, even those who appear (externally) happy and in ideal living circumstances….you see, those that smile the most hide the greatest pain.
So make sure to take time to smile, talk, lend an ear, and always be nice, because you don’t know what might be happening in someone’s life, or what is going on behind the scenes. You may be just the person they need to help them get out of a terrible situation.
Life is all about making moments and memories. So let’s go do just that!
QuIrKaLiCiOuS 