How to stand up to depression as a bully
Bullying, like depression, is all too common. More than likely, you’ve dealt with a bully at one point in your life. There has been someone in your life who has picked on you, called you names, or made you feel like you weren’t worthy. You have probably also witnessed bullying or have even been the bully at one point. No one is proud to admit it. Have you ever had someone you love bullied? It’s a helpless feeling. Being on the receiving end of bullying one has probably felt anger and the desire for retaliation. You want nothing more than to make it stop – to remove that pain for your loved one and make the bullying go away.
Now, image that bully lives in your head. Image that bully is always with you, always waiting to tell you that you’re not worthy of love, friendship, or success. Imagine that this bully keeps you up at night because you know he might strike at any point. However, this bully is invisible to everyone except the person dealing with it. You may not even recognize that someone is being bullied by depression. It’s lives silently, behind a mask of stigma and fear making the victim utterly terrified to talk about it for fear of judgment. If you’ve never dealt with this, you may not understand what it is like. If you have, you understand and we can empathize.
If you or someone close to you are living with depression, you may feel the same helpless feeling as you would if you were being bullied. Much like actual bullies, this one won’t stop unless we stand up to it, and much like actual bullies, that can be terrifying, especially if you think others won’t understand or support you. Despite what is often said, it is NOT as easy as “just talk about it”.
Practicing Kindfulness
So how do you start? First of all, let’s start training! By training, we mean practicing kindfulness – not boxing. Build up your mental fitness just like you might build up your physical fitness before confronting a bully. Kindfulness is a daily practice that improves your mental wellness, and just as important, it builds the self-worth and self-esteem to give you the strength to face depression head on. Once you believe you can stand up to it, it becomes easier to talk to others about it.
As a great side effect, you also get to create a tremendous impact on your community and those around you. Kindfulness consists of volunteering, intentional acts of kindness, gratitude, connection, and reflection. When you’re ready to start, you can join us! We would love to build our mental fitness by practicing kindfulness!