It is all about Knowing Yourself. Review on Handling Depression

DUST OF SADNESS

Are difficult to manage.

Hey guys, I start with a small poem I wrote around seven years ago, while finishing off with my graduation. Those were confusing times. Inspiring enough to search for new vistas, but yet ensnared in a web of haziness. Today, I am a much more focussed guy who has a relative control over himself, his moods....and maybe more.

I must say, I was inspired by Pooj's review on the same subject. I had become tired of writing those oh-so-usual film reviews. And maybe this subject will find me shifting gears.

Now, depression is common. It is deceptive as well. I really wouldn't want to dole out to you guys how-to-handle depression, and stuff like that. Maybe, I would like to be more subjective, and share a few things from my own personal experience.

Well, my parents live separately. I am the youngest in the family, and it seems to have affected me the most. There was a point-of-time in my life, age 15, when I experienced severe tension while preparing for my high school exams. I wanted to excel, to prove something, or maybe, to hide from the fact that somehow, I am not like others. Maybe I am not loved as much as the other kids were. Whatever!

I couldn't take my exams, and it resulted in severe depression. A sense of shame, and worthlessness swept me into a dungeon of despair. The doctors felt that maybe, I won't be able to cope. But then, my mother's faith had some other plans. She instilled an amazing confidence in me, highlighted my strong points, and made me believe that I could overcome my weaknesses.

It took me six months to recover. Time is surely the best healer. I moved on, made new friends, learnt to laugh in the darkest of hours, and gradually learnt to accept myself the way I was. My studies have never been a problem. I was not the most popular guy around, but yeah, I was always appreciated (And often envied). My family assisted me in making a career choice by leaving the decision to me. The choice was Arts, while others opted for Science, many of them, to prove that they were part of the herd.

It is my strong feeling that it is very important to make the right choices as far as your education, career and personal life is concerned. I worked doubly hard. And trust me, there was never a single moment when I felt as if I was studying. It was during my graduation that poems started getting publsihed in Literary Journals in India as well as abroad. Infact, I won a poetry competition in Nottinghamshire at the age of 19.

I feel one of the main causes of depression is lack-of-success. and in many a cases, lack-of-success originates due to a lack-of-effort. I sent my poems and letters to the editors. And out of the ten attempts, only two earned consent. So, always remember what Ad Guru Alyque Padamsee said: ''Talent evaporates, without stamina, staying power.'' So, in a way it is all about staying power, learning to laugh against all odds and believing in yourself.

Well, the basic attitude I formulated during my graduation days has kept me in good stead. And today, I am very sure that I am an achiever. Tomorrow will talk about me in glowing terms.

I hope this review might of some use to you people. Here's ending with a quote by Socrates: Know Thyself