I'm crazy. Are you crazy?

I know a lot of people who have some sort of mental health issue; the most common of which is depression. We all have pressures from life, work, family...or have experienced a loss. The loss of a friend, family member, or animal companion can cause an acute sense of sadness. Mourning is different for all of us, and it takes a different amount of time to bounce back to "normal." Some people are harder to read than others, so we can't always tell how well a person is doing. Just when life is looking up again, all it takes is a memory, smell, song on the radio...and the pain of loss can flair up like the loss happened just yesterday, instead of a year ago. However, as time goes by, we are usually able to become nostalgic instead of sad, and the memories become sweet instead of painful. Celebrating the life of a loved one, knowing they were loved and loved us back, can go a long way to heal. We can't control the circumstances surrounding a loss, but we can release the feelings we no longer want to feel, and keep the feelings we want to keep.

Depression is biological as well as mental. In some people, depression can be caused by a chemical imbalance. A clinical professional should be consulted if depression is overwhelming or will not go away. Check with your local American Medical Association (AMA) if thoughts of hurting yourself or others are present. Help is out there! Everything changes, nothing ever remains the same.

I'm crazy. Are you crazy?

People who have experienced depression or other mental health issues can often feel that they are different from the rest of the world; but they really don't realize that there are many who have had the same feelings of sadness, aloneness, or isolation. Sometimes a little crazy is nice. We crazies tend to examine ourselves a little deeper and usually feel compassion and empathy for our fellow man a little more than others. So if someone looks at me and asks "Are you crazy?" I simply answer "Yes, I am."