Equilibrium had it right
I’m a person of logic. Things that I don’t see I don’t believe. Things that don’t make sense I don’t assume to be true. Faith isn’t really a thing I take part in, and I do things when I see a reason to.
I let logic determine my decisions in life, but unfortunately there’s circumstance where not only do I let that slide, but it goes completely in the other direction. Doctors call that little issue of mine “major depressive disorder” and it’s something i’ve battled my whole life. The part of me when I let things that I know shouldn’t bother me to bother me, and where I make decisions not based on logic but instead on faulty emotion. Emotion isn’t logic.
I had to leave Twitter. At least for a while. I was unable to continue to watch people’s worlds literally scroll by me. For every Tweet that said “I’m so happy!” I only think “fuck you.” For every “I love the summer and my friends!” I think “I hate when people are happy.” I sit home and read about how happy others are, even though I know the filter of the internet makes things often look better or worse than they really are. It effects me far too much.
I cut out Facebook. At least for a while. I found myself commenting on things and saying things I regret later. I’m only spreading the emotion-based hate to others. That’s not fair.
You don’t know how much this pisses me off. Me feeling things that I know are 100% illogical. I have no reason to be “down” or “unhappy”. I know I am because of faulty neurons not sucking up enough serotonin in my brain. I realize that’s a fault of my body just like if I were born blind, or my right arm didn’t work, or whatever. It’s just a thing. Though it grabs me so fucking hard and I can’t shake it.
So as I try to and I cut out the internet activities that pushed me in the first place I realized something. I wasn’t just cutting out the “I’m so happy!!” comments that made me so down, but I’m cutting out the people. And the sad part is cutting out the people really makes things better.
Shortly after pulling myself away from the digital world and the many hundreds of people that inhabited it every day all of a sudden my expectations were reduced of that world. If you remove the people you consider “friends”, you don’t get disappointed. Being alone isn’t any longer “I wish I was out with people right now” but instead “I wonder what new podcasts are online.” The expectation of friendship and happiness is removed when the people are removed.
To me, that’s a great feeling. If you look at me a year ago I had a lot of great friends I spent a lot of time with. In that year so many things have changed. Every person I considered a close friend has moved forward with their life and into a world I don’t inhabit. Cohabitation in relationships, marriages, births, moves out of the area, etc. The world has moved fast this past year and that’s not a bad thing. But unfortunately it is something that ignites the faulty emotional part of me and makes me react with “I don’t care how much fun you’re having at the beach, shut up” when the Twitpic gets uploaded.
I hope everyone is well. I apologize 100 times over for “being that way” and I honestly hope everyone is having the best summer of their lives. Maybe you can tell me about it some time.
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Bethany
on July 16th, 2010
Gabe, you rip my heart out. I admire your openness to share this, you are braver than I ever have been. Everyone’s struggle is different, so I won’t claim that I know everything about what you’re going through, but I’ve been fighting my own lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression (atypical to your major) so I have a small glimpse. I know how terrible it is not to have control of your own emotions, how isolating it can be, and how helpless it makes you feel. Hang in there – I hope that you find your equilibrium, and if you ever need a sympathetic ear, don’t hesitate to ask.
You’re already following the only advice, one recovering off-kilter mind to another, that I can offer: do whatever you need to get better. Whatever illogical, harsh, hard, or crazy things you need to do to keep things in check, do them. Stay tight with your friends, do what you need to regardless of what everyone’s expectations are, and keep up hope – it’s a slow process. I wish you all the best, and I hope you find a way to joy.
jgarfink
on July 20th, 2010
I was wondering where you went. I suppose this explains that. It is absolutely terrible being that person who doesn’t seem to fit anywhere, and I certainly know how that can be. And although I’m basically just an internet buddy for you, if you ever want to talk, you know where to reach me. Also, if you ever want cookies, I can probably do that. (Raisins need not apply.)
Joe Craig
on July 29th, 2010
Thank you for the above post. Thanks for taking a moment & shaking my hand at the Nomad Lounge during Big Omaha. I missed your voice and finally found my way back here to find it again. Again, thank you.
Rhegan
on August 8th, 2010
Hey there Gabe,
I was just wondering where you went to one morning…and I guess I found that out. Everyone has their battles. I personally battle with severe anxiety so I know how easily it can be to get sucked into others’ emotions and let them affect you in such a way. It’s all a battle, life…and I’m glad that you’re fighting and doing what you can for yourself. So good job on figuring out what you needed to do, even if it was cutting out the internet others for a while. Also, thanks for sharing because it shows your strength and helps others with different problems realize their strength.
Thanks Gabe