19 Feb Depression – You are Not Alone!
Winter months are tough on most people. Is it any wonder? The days are shorter, the weather can be bitter cold, with little sunshine. Depression is a year round problem for many but stats show that people have a spike in their levels of depression in the winter season. If your mood has been declining, please know that you are not alone. In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness.*
How do you cope with depression? This answer will vary from person to person. Diego, a local photographer and advocate for depression, has told me that being active and doing creative shoots brings him happiness in his dark times. He also says smoking marijuana helps stabilize his mood temporarily. Now that marijuana is legal in Canada, Canadians can have access to CBD and THC products in a safe and regulated manner. My view on marijuana products is that it’s the individual’s personal choice to consume if they want, just like alcohol. I believe whole-heartedly that the marijuana plant has many health benefits to relieve all kinds of pain symptoms.
I feel it is super brave of Diego to speak up about his depression and share his ups and downs. This doesn’t only help Diego put his feelings into words (sharing is definitely a healing method) but it also helps those who are dealing with depression in a quiet manner. They see they are not alone and that is always reassuring.
Diego came up with a photoshoot concept to try to put what his depression looks like into portraits. This is a very vulnerable concept and deserves the upmost respect. You never know what people are going through. I would have never known that Diego suffers from depression unless he told me. He is a very kind and happy person when you meet him. Even the people who appear happy and all together are not always feeling that way internally, so it’s important to be kind to everyone (unless they are showing disrespect to you – but that’s a different blog story).
To see some of Diego’s work, click the link below:
Diego – photographer/videographer – https://www.instagram.com/diegod_productions/
*Smetanin et al. (2011). The life and economic impact of major mental illnesses in Canada: 2011-2041. Prepared for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Toronto: RiskAnalytica.
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