I haven’t felt myself lately…

I know that may be surprising for some to hear as my exterior disposition is conventionally one of a relaxed and composed demeanor. However, my mental well-being over the last few months has been anything but the case. The winter months have always given me the “winter blues” and led to number of adverse signs that I normally don’t experience as much during the warmer months, including: depression, difficulty concentrating, and a lack of interest in activities. Nevertheless, it would never be longer than 1-2 days and I would find myself back on my feet. For some reason or another this winter has extended my mental health struggles longer than normal.

It’s not that I don’t know I have a life chock full of daily blessings and people around me that make my life feel more meaningful. An incredibly loving and devoted family, a wife who has stuck with me through thick and thin and who I love deeply, two beautiful children, and a job that I’m passionate about and still can’t wait to get to every morning attest to that declaration. To me, it’s the peaks & valleys of life that can create a barricade from seeing what exactly is in front of me at any given moment. It’s the monotony that can develop from settling into routines and the exhaustion that is the daily grind of employee, husband, father, among other daily hats. It’s the mental and physical exertion that’s required to be a parent of two young children. Throw one of the harshest winters in recent memory on top of those and I have found myself to be – admittedly – pretty down in the dumps lately.

I’ve confided in family and close friends regarding the realities of the past few months and the uncharted waters that I have had to navigate. I’ve struggled with feelings of exhaustion, self-deprecation, self-criticism, and a ho-hum mindset and outlook. These feelings, in my opinion, are normal to experience to a certain degree; nonetheless, they had started to become more and more blatant and mood-stricken.

The past few weeks I have noticed a gradual improvement in my mental well-being thanks to close family and friends who have never shied away from lending me a helping hand. The remedies I’ve learned from them, coupled with the remedies I already employ to battle the roller coaster of mental health, has me finally starting to feel back to my normal self. I can’t even begin to acknowledge how much I’ve genuinely needed my support system for life advice, a pep talk when I needed to hear one, and just somebody to share an honest conversation with.

We never know what people are going through at any given time or moment. We all have our daily struggles that we navigate to the best of our ability and have to endure. Just because the exterior of someone appears to be happy and lively doesn’t necessarily mean the internal makeup is the same. Never underestimate the power of having a warm conversation with someone or asking somebody how they’re feeling. As inconsequential as it may appear at the time it can have a drastic and profound influence on the individual you are speaking with. I know that it has had that effect, without a doubt, on me.

— Chris