Suffering in Silence – When a new year approaches, many internal questions are converging at once. Did I hit any of my goals for myself this past year? Am I on a track where I want to be with regards to my finances? Am I in the best shape of my life?
For some of us, the answers are easy and we can honestly look ourselves in the mirror and shout an emphatic- YES.
For others, this mental turn signal approaching us with the new year is a T in the road that we must face again and ask ourselves that burning question we’ve been suppressing- Am I suffering in silence?
It’s not hard to see why depression and anxiety rear their ugly heads at this time of the year. There are so many other stressors to the holidays that we face more than any other time of the year.
Family commitments to both sides of the family (and some more), pressures of making sure we have enough money to cover all the presents beyond our normal expenses, travel, bad winter weather, airports, and checkout lines that defy logic.
Suffering in Silence
Every year it seems to get worse as we have swayed so far beyond what the holiday season should be about as opposed to what it has become. When I grew up, it was always about the smell of my mom’s breakfast casserole on Christmas morning and playing games all day with my family. I remember a few items I got for Christmas as a kid but the memories I have are not of presents but the family time we shared.
It seems today, it has become this frenzy and corporate revenue stream of how much bigger we can make the area under the Christmas tree, not the lasting memories we create among family and friends.
There are so many that charge their way to the gift wrapping that they spend the rest of the new year paying off the credit card charges from Christmas the year before. It’s no wonder at some point in the next year people are suffering in silence again. When stressors pile up in our minds and we don’t deal with them, they will at some point, begin to manifest inside our bodies.
More than Blues
Depression and anxiety symptoms are nothing more than internalized fear, anger, or both. We all have some level of depression at some point in our lives. Situational depression is the loss of a parent, a job loss, or a divorce. Something we must deal with as a singular situation and move on.
But, unfortunately, way too many people suppress, internalize and ignore the warning signs their body gives them. When this happens over time, the stress sets in the soft tissue in the body and builds up over time and all it takes is one more “mental situation” to send the person over the edge. Endogenous depression, or the permanent change in biochemistry in the brain, is the worst type of long-term side effect of suffering in silence.
In Conclusion
So many today are walking around in this benumbed, figure-eight of emotions and mental turmoil.
Covid 19, lies and manipulations from the corrupt media outlets and the fear that has been bestowed upon us have left so many crippled to their feelings and outlook on life.
The time to change your focus and mindset is NOW. Do not let another NewYear resolution go unrealized.