For years in my professional career I have heard leaders use the phrase “the grass is not always greener on the other side.” This statement of course is often utilized with a disgruntled employee who is looking for something better at another job. The quote is also applicable to marriages, friendships, churches, etc. One place that I will say there are greener pastures is definitely on the other side of an emotional episode. If you suffer or have ever suffered from depression, bipolar disorder or other emotional illnesses then you know exactly what I mean.
The symptoms of a manic episode are horrific. A person is simply going about their day and something triggers a flood of negative emotions and before we know it, we are paralyzed with mental anguish. It’s hard to articulate the feeling of depression to someone who has never truly felt a severe episode. It is certainly one of the most out of control, helpless and hopeless feelings imaginable. As I have gotten stronger over the years, I have been able to convince myself that life would be better as soon as the feeling passed. In fact, when my serotonin levels increase and I pull out of a manic episode I almost condemn myself as silly or immature. I used to always ask the question, what person, what man allows himself to be overwhelmed with despair? It took a long time and several doctors before I understood the explanation of chemical imbalances.
An accurate diagnosis is often difficult with a depression patient. Is it seasonal? Is manic? Bipolar I or Bipolar II? We can complete all the questionnaires and surveys in the world still it takes time and trial and error to treat such a debilitating illness. One of the most encouraging things my medical doctor has ever said to me is that “if this doesn’t work…something else will.” I knew I was seeing a doctor who clearly understood the unpredictability of my illness when he said this, because it is ever changing. The same rule applies to physical conditions like high blood pressure or cancer. Your body becomes immune after a while and new treatment must be prescribed to generate the desired results.
Understanding that a manic episode was largely out of my control actually helped me to get a handle on dealing with the symptoms. Now that I have a better understanding of the process and what happens to my mind and body during a “flare up” I can help with a better outcome. The more I talk about it, write about it and engage with other’s who suffer from similar problems, the more I can handle my own. If I could accomplish one thing by being open and honest about emotional struggles it would be to change the general population’s attitude from ashamed and embarrassed, to capable and optimistic about winning the fight.
If you or someone you love suffers from any form of depression, I highly recommend taking every precaution and ever step to limit the length of a manic episode. Utilize reaffirming statements like “I will be better on the other side of this.” People say hindsight is 20/20 in a somewhat sarcastic tone as if there is nothing we can do about the past. However, learning from what mistakes we have made in the past is the only way to limit our suffering in the future. You can’t handle anything in this life alone. Help is out there. Sometimes we just have to seek it. We start with God and He places the right people in our path to bring about the change we need. Trust me…I have been there and now it feels great to be on the other side.
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