This sunny crochet mandala comes from Tina who writes, “I’ve had anxiety and depression for over twenty years. You have to remember that depression lies. You have to fight, but you also have to know that taking a sick day and taking care of yourself is also okay.”
Depression Lies. This is so important to remember. We think that the messages we are hearing over and over in our heads are true but if depression is saying them then there’s a good chance that they are false – or at least inaccurate.
The Bloggess (Jenny Lawson) has a section of blog posts tagged with “depression lies” in which she shares her own experiences of the disease. And if you find that you appreciate her blog posts, you might be interested in her memoirs including the most recent one: Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
She writes, “For most of my life I’ve battled depression, anxiety and a host of other disorders, but I wrote this book less as a manual on how-to-survive-mental-illness and more of a compendium on how-to-thrive-in-spite-of-your-brain-being-a-real-bastard. Some of it is very serious and some of it is very funny, but I hope you’ll find that all of it is honest, baffling and relatable.”
Lawson has a sharp sense of humor that isn’t right for everyone but is perfect for many. She writes a disclaimer at the beginning of the book that includes,
“This is a funny book about living with mental illness. It sounds like a terrible combination, but personally, I’m mentally ill and some of the most hysterical people I know are as well. So if you don’t like the book then maybe you’re just not crazy enough to enjoy it. Either way, you win.”
As you can see, she uses the word “crazy” loosely and she makes fun of her own mental illness. She also takes it seriously in many ways, and she relates a truth about it that isn’t always seen. So it’s not the right book for every phase of your depressive experience but it might interest you at some point.
