I know you may think that this is a negative post, but I promise you it's not. This is the most positive thing that ever happened this week in the midst of the chaos of Christmas rush.We know that we can actually help people with our experiences, but I never thought of it in the same way I thought it should. Let me share what happened this week.
As I was reading through my Facebook friends' posts,yes, I do read through my friends' posts, so I would immediately know if someone wrote negatively against me. :) But that day, I was extremely grateful that I did not felt lazy and antagonous towards every post I read. As I scrolled down, a post from one of my acquaintances caught my eye and it made an instant connection with me. I can't classify her as a friend yet since there were only a couple of times we talked, during the recognition day at my daughter's school and during the educational tour.
She posted something like " Lord, forgive me, I am a sinner. I want to die". Usually, when I see posts like that, I always thought that this person just needed something to catch attention. But, I felt that somehow it was a real cry for help. I viewed her page to check what else she may have posted and true enough, there were other posts that were similar to this. Without thinking twice, I sent her a private message which she didn't reply to until late in the evening. In my message, I gave her my cellphone number just in case she really needed someone to talk to badly.
I got an answer from her in the evening and I sent her an instant reply. We chatted and just like my experiences, she too suffered from depression, which almost send her to the brink of losing her sanity which is why she has to leave her work abroad. She came home without a memory of what really happened during the time the worst of the situation got her.
She said she was under medication and have to see a psychiatrist once a month to monitor her psychological health. I fully understand her, and in my first message, I already told her that I once committed suicide and it was because of depression. And it wasn't worth it. Because of this, she was able to open up to me about her mental state because she knew I would understand.
I listened to her, and I gave my advices. I gave her the link to my blogs, where I wrote my personal experiences including what contributed to my depression. I also offered to pray for her personally.
Relaying my ordeal is just like going back to the situation again and again, but I opted to tell my story because I know that it will mean a lot to her and probably would make a difference. I hope it makes a difference.
For people who are going through some pain and issues in their lives, always remember that nothing just happens. Everything happens for a reason. Now I know why I got seated next to her during the recognition day and why I also got to hang with her and her daughter all throughout the 8 hour educational tour. Our daughters are not even classmates.
It would just help a lot if our government will just include mental health into their government programs. Mental health is just as important as someone's physical health. If and when governments all over the world will give importance on taking care of the mental state of their constituents, then nervous breakdowns, depression, anxiety would somehow be lessened and avoided. And maybe we could have prevented mass shootings of children which could only come from the mind of a disturbed person.
My life, the past and the present, is now an open book, a book that anybody can read and learn. I don't mind people judging me based on what they will read in my testimonies, but I care more for the people who will learn from it.
And if she gets past on where she is right now, then I know that the pain that I had in my life, became someone else's gain, in the sense that she gained something from reading and learning from my experiences. Paying forward, the pain that she had in her life, will surely one day become another's gain. And that thought is just comforting.
Keep the faith,
Mei
0 comments