Depression is real and this open letter to a depressed friend talks about depression in adult life.
Dear,
I hope you are doing fabulous. I have to deliberately ask you this after speaking to you last month and after reading through your mind, I’m upset about you. You are not the same anymore. This is not just an open letter to a depressed friend but a letter full of concerns about you. I still remember how I used to scold you for bombing my Facebook timelines with too many status messages and funny memes. Do the good old days disappear when melancholy strikes?
I have no words to say what I feel right now. My piece of advice for you at this point in time is to be strong. My intention in writing this letter is not to preach. I’m not a priest to give you sermons. Every single day when I talk to you, I have this constant fear gripping me – the fear of you not acknowledging me! Don’t you remember the days we used to talk to each other – for hours! I’m simply not amazed at the fact that you have caused yourself in a troublesome situation by alienating from the world.
If that helps then I would not stop you but if that makes you stronger then I will encourage you. Disappointment haunts me every time I type a hello to you on Whatsapp messenger. What if you never reply to me? Isn’t failure an attribute of successful people? You may disapprove of this but most successful people have tasted failures during their early days of life. They toiled hard and they have reached the milestones only after struggling.
Why don’t you seek inspiration from them? Is that too much an ask? There are various stories that speak about this. Dropping a year is not okay for many! Similar is the case with you. I understand that you are quite young. At this age, people talk about ambitions and aspirations. I’m quite sure you must have dreamt a lot about your future too. People will be there to talk behind your back. Let them talk about whatever they want to! It’s their job to bring others down.
Never let the negativity grip you. People will come and go in your life and say many things about you behind your back. Because they fear to face you. Everyone has different perspectives. Extract the positives from what they say and ignore the negatives. Ignorance is bliss and you very well know that. Welcome to life! That is how life is! Failures knock our door when we least expect it. Today I would narrate you my story on how I landed to Noida alienating myself from my loved ones.
I can’t tell you how much hurt I must have caused myself to take a life-changing decision! I had too many regrets then.
“Each decision brings its own delays and days are lost lamenting over the lost days.”
A dear friend of mine would often remind me of this quote. Every one tagged me as a cribber. I had no one to cheer me up and make me stronger. But today you have me. I am only doing my bit to mold you into a stronger person. The sky will not always be blue. The birds would stop crooning someday. It’s okay to well your eyes with tears. Our cheeks do need to experience what tears feel like! But let’s not make it a daily routine- even they won’t like it.
It’s OK to cry but remember that you have to mold yourself into a stronger individual. You have lost your smile these days. Don’t you know how much I used to adore your smile? I don’t see the loquacious you anymore. I fear that if you continue doing this then you will only hurt yourself more. An old adage speaks –
“The journey in between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place.”
I can cite several quotes for you just to motivate you. At this point, it’s important for me to make you understand that failure is not something that brings you down. Don’t remain submerged in it. I too sailed a similar boat that you are traveling now. So, I can understand your pain. Your pain might be higher in intensity than mine but its okay!
“Often in life, we forget the things we should remember, and remember the things we should forget.”
And you are just doing the latter! You should come out of the depression and instill joy in your life. My attempts to motivate might turn futile or may turn fruitful. It depends on how you take it. I’m quite sure your dreams will materialize soon. Stay positive, be positive, and think positively! And lastly read this line carefully,
“Never back down. Life is like a bull; you have to take it by the horns, even if you’re thrown around, get up and go again!”
Love,
#The Solitary Writer
