Matthew Paul Awodi

Beating Depression. The dim night light illuminated the ground, the streets are dark and lonely, lonely except for Johnny-boy as He staggered his way down on the road. It's been a bumpy ride Johnny, he thought to himself as he took another sip off the strong cheap brewed gin drink bottle held firmly in his shaky right Palm. It's been a bumpy ride, he said, this time out loud as he coughed so hard he could barely stand, his body knew it was fading, he Johnny was fading. He sat down at the edge of the road resting his back against the wall, look at you Johnny-boy a thought crept into his mind. Once upon the time you wanted to be the best you even worked towards being the best, but here you shall die a lonely old looking young man in a lonely street and no one will remember you. Johny shrugged his shoulders slightly as he attempted another sip, for him the end came long ago when he lost it all. In life people gravitas towards the happy ending, we love book, movies and even song that ends with fireworks, joy and laughter. But the reality in the real world is, majority of people are not happy and some may never be happy again. Depression is real and people needs HELP. According to the world Health Organisation, up to 3.8% of people living in the world are depressed. One of the extreme toxicities of depression is; it can ultimately lead to suicide. More than 700,000 people commits suicide each year. And like Jonny-Boy, people are not always there to help. While the awareness for looking out for each other and to help a depressed neighbor, coworker or friend is on the rise, the number one entity there to help you is you. And how? Let's take a look. ✅ Recognize that you are Depressed. Learning about depression is one of the best ways to know about it, admitting to yourself that you are depressed and need help is the first step in helping yourself. ✅ Talk to People who cares about you. Talking to people is not about jumping from one person to another telling them your problems. to people means talking to your love ones and those people who may be in a position to help you such as your family, close and trusted friends, etc. ✅ Be Accountable for your Daily Life. This factor cannot be overemphasized, depression usually causes people to live unkept often hibernated wallowing in the moment. Avoid that at all cause and try to do little tasks to keep you busy. Keep a journal if possible to document your routines and try your best to stick to it no matter how difficult. ✅ Seek Medical Attention. Be it Psychotherapy or medical diagnosis, get professional help. ✅ Eat Balances diet and Exercise Properly. Food can elevate mood which in turn has effect on mental health. Eating balanced nutritious meals can keep a person physically well and this improves mental health, also studies shows that physical exercise releases endorphins into the human system, endorphins is known to improves mood. ✅ Avoid Alcohol and spend Quality Time Relaxing. Alcohol intake may worsen the depression and even make it difficult to treat, avoid alcohol by all means and spend quality time relaxing. Visit parks, go the places you can interact with nature and spend time relaxing. Like the story of Johnny-boy above maybe he died, maybe he lived... we may never know, what we do know is "We have a choice." "I am the captain of my soul" is not just a quote, it is the realization of the power of choice. For if Life, then Live.