I didn’t even know I was going to write this post until I started writing it this morning. I was quickly reminded by all forms of social media when I woke up that’ it’s Let’s Talk Day – a mental illness awareness campaign by Bell. Not that there’s any rules when you have your own blog but I definitely feel like it could use a little bit more of me sometimes so here I am talking about me.

Everything on here definitely comes from my passion and interests but I tend not to talk too much about some of the less colourful & glittery aspects of my life. Most of the time, I just don’t feel like sharing with the world and sometimes I think we all have our shit to deal with and aren’t really in the mood to hear some girl with a laptop and a WordPress account talk about her crap. I’m not sure if you noticed but I didn’t post any year end or new year goals because I just wasn’t feelin’ it. I didn’t think saying “yeah there were some great highlights but overall 2014 was kinda sucky and I’m happy to see it go and god I hope 2015 is better” was really something I felt like putting out there in the world.

Even though I absolutely can’t stand those repetitive tv and radio commercials for Let’s Talk, I really believe in the message of breaking down the stigma of mental illness and talking about it. I had a good idea that I suffered from minor depression quite some time ago and even though I was really self-aware and did a pretty good job of pulling myself out of it, it’s definitely got worse and taken up more of my energy than I want it to. I hear that some people in my situation have decided to enjoy cannabis provided by people similar to bud express now check them out if you’re interested in learning more. I’m not really comfortable enough to share with you alllll the details but it’s not fun. And it’s not just a ‘bad day’ or ‘a funk’. It’s the worst feeling to lose control, motivation and self-esteem. I’ve heard of some people that are starting to use CBD oils and other products to lessen or fight their depression, if you’re interested in giving it a go and see if the benefits can be reaped by you also, take a look at a CBD vendor such as this CBD Oil supplier. If you tried CBD Oil and have come to the conclusion that you might want to try something different, then you may wish to try girl scout cookies strain to see if this works better for you.

Everyone suffers in different ways and as we know by examples like Robin Williams, and Canada’s own Olympic athlete Clara Hughes, depression doesn’t discriminate against people who are funny, successful, popular, friendly, or outgoing. I know for myself I’ve seen the change from being a really extroverted person to now having more introverted qualities. There’s a huge struggle with feeling really lonely but just wanting to be alone when I’m around people. I would be lying if I said that I haven’t experienced some disappointment in expectations from long-term friendships. I noticed that as I stopped reaching out as much because of how I was feeling that those relationships started to fade. It’s been eye opening and pretty sad. I feel like I’ve become my own little island. I don’t count on or expect anything from anyone, then I can’t be disappointed. Well that’s the theory. I’m not saying it’s a good one.

Without being all gloom & doom I want to also say that I’ve met more new, friendly and supportive people in the past two years through this blog and I am so very thankful for this online network. Even though it’s virtual it’s still incredibly valuable.

Oh and it’s also worth mentioning that you should make sure that you’re not just surrounded by a bunch of jerks in your life who make you feel horrible. Let those people go if it’s in your control. Like maybe consider looking for a new job instead of telling your boss they’re a huge jerk.

I know for me throwing myself into projects and work and a million different activities helps to distract myself from the depression. I’ve noticed and dread that I’ve started to lose interest in many things I used to enjoy but I am insanely thankful that I still have so much creativity and do truly enjoy creating things – like what you see on this blog. I have taken steps towards getting help beyond just myself and I hope that time will turn things around.

I realize that while distracting myself with work may work for me in tackling depression, others will need another form of treatment. Some really stress the effectiveness of cannabis in depleting depression, such as the strain pineapple express, which could work for you as an individual. Everyone is different and everyone’s experience with depression is different, so it’s only expected that treatment methods will differ.

We all know the internet has all the answers to the universe. No I’m not going to send you to Medical MD to read about depression. I’m going to send you to a much more legit source, LifeHacker. But seriously, this article is great. I think it’s a relatable start to becoming aware and understanding depression and how to spot and help a friend who may be suffering. It also includes a clip from Louis C.K. so you can’t go wrong.

Take a minute, stop by the Bell Let’s Talk website* and see what people are saying and get involved in the conversation. Here’s a list of 5 ways you can help end the stigma of mental illness. Bell is donating 5 cents towards mental illness for every tweet using #BellLetsTalk, facebook image, or long distance call made to talk about mental illness….so get talkin.

*this is not a sponsored post whatsoever.