As I write this post, I have finished my first week at a new job. This job is unique for me in that I have joined a company that is literally starting from scratch. As you can imagine, this provides for some challenges and some exciting opportunities as we start to build and grow.
Even though this new job has come with the luxury of gradually easing into it so far, starting something new can be overwhelming and exhausting. For me, it signifies a whole new routine, and that has taken a lot for my brain to process. Honestly, figuring out what to take for lunch and what to pack have required a lot of energy. It sounds like these should be relatively simple tasks, but it has shown me how much effort can go into changing routines.
For someone touched by depression in some way, it is no doubt an overwhelming experience when it happens. Habits and routines are changed, and it can definitely be exhausting. And, for the most part, the changes are not welcome. Change can be tough even if it is a positive change, so the changes that depression brings can be devastating.
I think it is important to realize that like a diagnosis of heart disease or cancer, a diagnosis of depression can be overwhelming to all affected. This likely can lead to anxiety and exhaustion as everyone tries to figure out their “new normal”. Overall, no matter what the diagnosis, we need to be empathetic to all people facing these changes. And, in general, we should be kind to everyone, because we usually do not know the struggles or changes that everyone is facing in their lives.
How about you? What changes have you experienced as the result of a personal diagnosis or diagnosis of someone you know? Was it overwhelming at first? Did it get easier over time? My hope is that we can always try to be more understanding of how change affects people.