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About depressionftw

Mental health blogger, creative writer, entrepreneur, cybersecurity professional.

Oversharing is Great

So you know how this blog advocates that sharing is not caring? Because being true to you is a dangerous waste of time and attention? Actually, fuck that oversharing is great!

Why is oversharing great? Because you’re probably saying something important. It might seem like trivial bullshit and trite confusing nonsense, but it’s probably original. Right? Definitely unique to you though, you know?

Billie Eilish just doesn’t understand that feelings belong splashed all over the Internet (original interview here). Because expressing your feelings leads to content, and we all know content is king. Content like songs, videos, movies, artwork, and incredibly insightful “help-self” posts.

What about in real life? IRL as it were. Is it okay to overshare with friends and family? What about bosses and subordinates? What about strangers? Of course! Share anything with anyone at any time! What’s to stop you?

Then again some forms of expressing your feelings can have negative consequences. Like violence. That usually leads to lasting damage. Or screaming at people. Which is just words, yet still causes people to become emotionally defensive fortresses blocking out everything you say.

So maybe you’ve got to be tactical in sharing the feels. Think about what impact you want to have, and whether your methods of communication will hit the mark. Still, it’s important to remember that repression can cause you to bear the burden of your emotions all by yourself. Oversharing is like inviting people to a feelings party: you got to know what type of event you’re planning and what type of audience you truly want to be in attendance. And don’t forget you’ve got to be ready to clean everything up when all is said and done. Party on!

*Mind-Controlled*

Old Year’s Resolutions

So you know how another year is coming to an end, and everyone’s is preparing their plans for how to improve in the new year? And you’re caught between being glad that something new is happening to distract you from the perpetual boredom and pain of your condition, and being scared that you’ll actually have to make changes to your life?

It’s hard to decide to try new things or take on challenges when it feels like everything in the past is already perfect. -ly fucked. Perfectly fucked. And at times when you find that you should be looking forward sometimes it’s so tempting to just look back and dwell on your life history. Sometimes it is reassuring because as bad as it was, the past is over now, and barring time machines, you can’t actually change the past.

If you’re going to focus on what’s already happened, why not make an ethic of it? It’s a great time to think about what you’ve accomplished, and evaluate how much of it you truly feel you deserved. It’s a great time to think about the people in your life and how they’ve helped or hurt you. And it’s a great time of year to reflect on all of those dreams of what could be better, even if that does make you feel ungrateful.

You might think because calendars do control a vast part of our life, that it follows that we should worship the beginning of the year by marking it will all our plans to do better. Submit to the structure of external society and fall in line with the time-based programming of the overlords!

Okay or maybe you would rather say fuck it and just do whatever you want. And holidays, new years, and seasonal greetings bedamned, doing nothing is also a fantastic option. When all the world is celebrating, or thinking of ways to change society, it can be so wonderful to rebel your way into sullen apathy and lethargy.

So take a look at the past year and remember that there’s another one coming up. And then do more stuff? Or then do less stuff? It’s up to you as you’re dragged forward in time by the unrelenting laws of the universe.

*Mind-Controlled*

Be False To You

So you know how Disney et al. tells you to follow your heart and be true to you? That shit is a bad idea. Fake it forever.

Depression can sometimes cause your internal world to be filled with negativity and critical thoughts. Not to mention taboos and deconstructions of societal norms. It’s a lot. Still, what’s wrong with sharing your heart? What’s wrong with communicating about how unique you are? Or how boring you are for that matter?

Nothing. It’s other people that are the problem. They might judge you. They might see you as dangerous. They might form stereotypical impressions of you. And then in the case of the mental health system, they might institutionalize you, and/or make you take medicine. Because depression is typically at least in part defined by thoughts that are not considered on the metaphorical tableau of the “well adjusted.”

Would you deserve these reactions? Would it be the natural consequence of being a deviation from the norms of the less depressed? Is this really what would happen from you just following that advice and being honest about who you really are?

Well there’s also the possibility that you could find someone, or a group of people, who can provide support. And if you are prepared for the emotional weight of sharing your inner self with the world, there could be the reward of others understanding you better, and even embracing your perspective. You could even find that some of your thoughts are original as fuck, or really helpful.

So you know, maybe you just have to be cautious and set your own boundaries? If you find that being true to you privately is okay, go for it. If you want to take it public, that’s cool as well. Yet while it’s hard to feel forced to care about society’s limitations, there is often some need to rely on people outside of yourself, and so being truthful can be a delicate balancing act to make sure that you can follow your heart and still get what you need to survive.

*Mind-Controlled*

The Repression Superiority Complex

So you know how you’re stoic and don’t like to communicate? Not just like talking, but actually sharing your deep inner workings. And you keep all your feelings inside except for when, sometimes, you are struck with an urgent need to express yourself somehow, just never in a way that’s responsible or healthy, because that would be gay?

It’s funny how depression can make you feel like being repressed makes you superior to other people. All you are doing is refusing to communicate, but you think you’re fucking awesome as fuck for not being a mouthy loser who shares too much. And there’s all that time where you talk talk talk, but always keep the important stuff trapped inside, misleading everyone around you.

Then if you do decide to communicate, it might be an effusive mudslide of first in last out trauma from years past, which sucks. Or an eruption of angry last in first out bullshit ragers against all the people who most recently fucked you over with their assholery. And really these options, and the many many more, are all awful, so really communicating is just the worst, and all the people trying to get you to do it can get fucked.

The bad news is: yes exactly, never communicate. The good news is: you have free will and can express yourself the way you want to, and to who you want to, as long as you’re prepared for the consequences of whichever form of honesty (or dishonesty) that you choose.

Because it’s funny how you’re actually the one deciding what is so important that you should NOT share it. Get the gist? Like society does make everyone conform to bullshit expectations, but you’re still the ultimate arbiter of what is too taboo or trivial to communicate to others. Whether you go to therapy, talk to a confidant, or just rage when you want to, all options for communication are yours to think over, even if you just decide to stick with not communicating.

So you can feel superior when you repress your feelings. Because everyone knows that brooding just is cool. Still, if you do decide to express yourself, you’ll own the outcome of whichever type of sharing you choose, so that’s pretty boss too. Even if you fuck it up. Ha ha!

*Mind-Controlled*

Work in Progress III

Well this blog is called DepressionFTW, or “Depression for the Win”, and so it really is meant to be first and foremost a blog about how to help oneself deal with symptoms of depression. However, the author of this blog, Sara Bernick Mishra, has come to have interesting developments in her mental health since she began writing, or ghost writing as it were.

Consequently, does she need to rename this blog? Is there a more specific label that describes her individual experience that she should plaster all over every post? For now, the answer is that if you want a personal identity blog from Sara Bernick Mishra, encourage her to write an autobiography. This remains a blog on alleviating the symptoms of depression and navigating the relevant complexes that Sara Bernick Mishra encountered within her mind, and those that she observed from the behaviors of others with the condition.

What is the future of this blog now that I, Sara Bernick Mishra, am not suffering from symptoms of depression? For now, I think it is important to the conversation about mental health around the world, and hopefully, it still can serve as a resource to individuals who are bored with their misery.

Will there be more posts? Maybe. There will certainly always be more to say.

*Mind-Controlled*

Life is Hard Again

So you know when people are reminding you to look at all the good things you have in your life? And you feel bad because you know you should be more grateful? Fuck that.

It should be okay to revel in the pain of knowing it could always be better. So it could be worse. So who fucking cares? It could be fucking better!

And in the process of being ungrateful, you learn a lot of self-focus for survival. It takes a lot to handle depression, so it should be okay to think about your own life and be upset that it isn’t perfect.

Thinking about all the things that could be worse is also really depressing so why would people suggest you do that to feel better? And thinking of the things that could be even better is overwhelming, but at least it gives you something to dream about when you are miserable.

And when someone wants to be just happy with where they are and exactly what they have. Fuck them. It’s okay to be miserable always wanting more than what you have, because that’s what’s happening to people all the time, they’re just being dishonest and trying to pretend everything is okay.

So think about how much life sucks and how it could be better, or worse, or whatever the fuck, if you want to think about it. And if you don’t. Then don’t. Either way, gratitude for what you have only gets you so far. There’s more to life than appreciating what you have, and that’s okay.

*Ghost Written*

Murder on the Brain

So you know how sometimes you might consider killing people?

When you feel the need to cull, remember that is probably unnecessary.

Yet if you get impatient, you might choose to contemplate murder as a solution.

It is likely you can find other solutions to avoid doing something that can never be undone.

Anything that is in this world already, exists, and to murder something out of this world, is to risk losing something that could be useful.

So when you have the thoughts related to killing, consider them, and consider the alternatives.

(Note: written with some external direction.)

Who Remembers FernGully?

So my ever-growing friend wants to explain something about depressed people, and “sociopaths,” and morality, and the importance of social assistance programs in preventing vigilante justice.

Because he had some stoner comments (or insightful government policy stoner suggestions) about the movie (FernGully), even though he wasn’t even high while re-watching it. He’s a clean one. Always respectable, that guy.

Pretty much all of the following is what he wanted to ghost write… So… Yeah… Just going to let it happen:

Because some people, man, they like, love Batty (bi-polar faggot). And I’m all like, fuckers, I love Hexxus. And here’s why: because that fucker was right. Like humans and faeries, kind of having a gay war in the forest. But this bitch, Hexxus, is just “FUCK YOU. YOU CUT DOWN MY HOUSE. EVERYONE DIE!”

 

AND in talented song about his sociopathic love. Because this guy Hexxus, is like, he’s like,  just the messenger guys. Just the one who gets the bigger picture, but sub-textually is saying “fuck off, I want my house back.” So like. Don’t hate. Don’t hate.

 

Because it’s like UP. The Disney-Pixar thing. But if like, everyone was killing the old guy because he’s not happy about developers fucking with his property.  Right? So UP guy, he goes on a gay adventure. But like, in FernGully, this Shinto-esque smoke friend (monster friend), is really upset that his house got messed up. And HE tries to use the human developers against everyone in the forest to say “IF IT’S MY HOUSE. IT’S YOUR HOUSE TOO BITCHES.”

 

Like, watch it without sound. You’ll realize that Hexxus. Is just right. Because like, did the faeries fix his fucking house? No. They just got mad at him. Even though he’s probably pretty upset about his awesome tree being hurt by humans. But then like, at the end, they gave him a new home. I bet that calmed him down. Made him happier.

 

So next time, instead of MAKING Hexxus fuck up the forest because he’s homeless and wants you to give a fuck, just do your job faeries. That’s all I’m saying. Just be better faerie welfare for your smoke friend, Hexxus. Get him a new house faster, and then no one gets hurt. No one gets upset.

 

Because like FUCK Zak. That blonde, retarded apathic nightmare just distracts everyone from poor Hexxus’ quest to get a new house. Zak and that faerie bitch should fuck in the first few minutes of the movie, so then later they could go find the awesome smoke friend a house. Home. Tree. Yeah, tree.

 

And FUCK Batty. He’s just distracting the faeries from their displacement management responsibilities. Like these must be conservative faeries, not giving a fuck or something.

 

Where’s all the gay hippie love for Hexxus? Faeries? Make him a refugee camp of one, or this cool fucker is going to mess your shit up, so you get him. Obvious right answer.

 

Point is: thanks grandma faerie. THANKS FOR DOING YOUR JOB RIGHT BY POOR HOMELESS HEXXUS.

And so, in sum: If you don’t help the saddest, angriest citizen of the forest quickly enough… You get fucked up. Socially. Let that be a lesson to faeries, humans, and all creatures, really. You’re only as happy as your unhappiest smoke friend.

(Note: I essentially transcribed this. Without much editing. Just a few formatting changes.)

 

Work In Progress II

My ever-growing friend suggested I clarify that 1) he is part of my ghost writer, 2) using numbered lists in GRE essays should really be okay, but from my experience, it is ill advised, and 3) when I mentioned speaking privately in a post from a few years ago, I was referring to being his sponsor about a sex addiction.

He says he recovered because his depression abated, and so he could more readily reject encounters or interactions that were self-sabotaging as well as stave off relapses. He says a few of his cohort have also improved psychologically because his recovery has enabled him to assist others.

He wanted me to mention that this blog was started partly because of a reaction to television programs and other media that depicted people with mental health conditions, and yet did not successfully communicate any understanding about what causes lead to or results occur from these psychological phenomenons known as “crazy people.”

“Insanity is a societal construct.” — Sara Bernick Mishra (to her ever-growing friend in the Spring of 2013)

My ever-growing friend says: “Why not deconstruct it?”