Lets be depressed together??

‘Birds of a feather flock together’ and yet ‘opposites attract’ – you can probably find a proverb to support any point of view. Lately I have been spending a lot of time with some others who are also dealing with depression at various levels. It has reminded me about my ideas around getting some sort of local support group for depression going in the area.

Such self-help is seen to be a benefit because it breaks down the feelings of being alone with whatever the struggles are.  It enables you to talk to people who understand some of your experiences, laugh together about the weird moments, cry together about the tough times and generally have a place to be honest about how life is.

On the other hand hanging around people with the same problems as you can be a downer, if I am depressed why go to meet up with others who are as miserable as me? Afterall when it is a major struggle to get out of bed, or to get going with normal domestic life – what is going to be worth the effort it would take to get there and get involved.

What might a group get up to that would make it a welcoming space yet still offer the chance to get to know people in a similar situation?  This community is too small to have a general book group and one for a specific group of people – so there doesn’t seem much point in mimicking activity focused clubs. The ideal would be for the group that forms to decide what it looks like – but how do we get that starter group together? What do you advertise as?  All ideas appreciated...   

Honesty about depression

I had the privilege that comes with this job whereby this week I was invited to speak to a group in the next town about my life and faith. Naturally this cannot be done without the story of my depression, and the other lumps and bumps in my life.

There is such power in naming the often un-nameable, it asserts that depression is just the same as any other illness we suffer, that it happens to people of faith as much as anyone else.

After the talk one person came up and said that I had described their life, parallels with depression. It is amazing to be able to have such conversations.

In a couple of weeks time there will be the first session of a group I am establishing based at one of my churches 'living with depression'.  I don't know how many will come but it seemed important to offer that place of support, in reality it is about setting up what I would have valued in my darker moments and still feel to be important now. A place to be honest about the chaos and pain, and even the lighter moments - with others who 'get it' and instead of boring family and friends yet again.

Okay so not everyone wants to air their souls in front of others, and mostly the rest of us are glad about that, but there are two needs - a) that everyone has a place to air it if they need to - be it close to home or far away and anonymous; b) that some of us bare all to show others they are not alone, and to help the unaffected understand.

I feel called to be part of both of these, and have the privelege of a role that allows that to happen.