I found out today that Aaron Swartz, the co-founder of Reddit, committed suicide yesterday at the age of 26 (thanks to another member posting in an off-topic area of a forum I frequent).
Before today, I had no idea who this young man was. I’ve barely heard of Reddit, still don’t quite know what it is. At the moment, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that a life is ended too soon. A mother and father are burying their son; friends are saying a final goodbye to a loved one. Aaron didn’t leave a note, though everyone close to him knew he struggled with Depression, and they knew the legal troubles he was facing, so the cause for his suicide is easy to guess.
Those of us on the outside have no idea if he was receiving any treatment. His friends and family may have no idea if he was receiving any treatment, or may well know that he definitely was not.
What I’m pretty certain of is this: Because he didn’t go out with a huge bang, taking down a number of innocents with him, Aaron’s death will likely go unnoticed by much of America. There will be no major news stories on this man, on this life.
Yet again, mental illness will be, at best, glossed over. . .or, most likely, completely ignored.
Why do I feel compelled to write about this? Because his words haunt me. I could have written them myself:
"You want to lie in bed and keep the lights off. Depressed mood is like that, only it doesn't come for any reason and it doesn't go for any either. Go outside and get some fresh air or cuddle with a loved one and you don't feel any better, only more upset at being unable to feel the joy that everyone else seems to feel. Everything gets colored by the sadness."
I have been here. Thankfully, I have also had it instilled in me that it’s ok to seek professional help, that it’s not a weakness. (Knowing that this runs in my family, and that I’m at least the 3rd straight generation on one side, also points strongly to a genetic and physiological tie.) And, mostly, I’ve had this help available to me when I needed it, or I knew where to find it.
Many Americans are not so lucky. Many are trained to think that Depression is something you “just get over.” That it’s a sign of weakness to get help. That it happens to someone else, not you. And when they do come to grips with Depression, and are ready to get the help they need. . .good, quality help isn’t readily available to them.
The issue of quality care for mental health issues--not just Depression, but ALL mental health issues--shouldn’t only come up for five, ten, fifteen minutes after a mass killing as has been the case lately. It shouldn’t be the precursor to some other polarizing debate. This is a discussion we should be having until we talk about it as easily as heart disease, until we seek treatment for Depression as readily and quickly as we seek treatment for high blood pressure.
I’m sorry that this first post in over a week has to be so heavy, but here it is. And before I sign off, please, if you recognize any of these symptoms of Depression (courtesy of the Mayo Clinic), please call a mental health professional and get treatment, whether it’s talk therapy, medication, or both. Don’t let it go untreated, you can feel better.
~Asile, Just Another One Trying
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Finding Time . . . No, MAKING Time
I mentioned in my first post that I probably would end up mentioning the company I work for, just because I spend so much time there and it is a big part of my life. I didn’t expect it to happen quite so soon, but it has a lot to do with this post, so here we have it.
Part of being successful at losing weight is incorporating activity, or exercise. This can be a very hard thing to do. One of the biggest excuses--one I’ve often made myself--is “I just can’t find the time for it.” Bull. I can find the time to write this. I can find the time to talk to my best friend. I can find the time to piddle around on Facebook. I can totally find the time to be active.
What we have to start doing is making the time. And there are opportunities all around, if I just choose to take advantage of them. I’m especially lucky, because my job provides a huge, easy opportunity, five days a week. I work for the corporate offices of AMF Bowling Centers, which happens to be attached to one of the bowling centers. And one of the perks of being an employee is a discount on bowling. You may not believe this, but bowling really is exercise, especially if you stay in constant motion and don’t stop to sit down between frames.
I get an hour lunch break every day. How difficult is it to walk from my office to the bowling center . . . get a pair of shoes and a ball . . . and start hurling that ball down the lane at the pins? Based on how often I do it, outside of when we’re having employee leagues, you’d think it was nearly impossible. It shouldn’t be, and it isn’t. Today, it was very easy. In fact, it took me about 40 minutes total to bowl 3 games, and break a little sweat (aided by being dressed warmly because it’s freezing here in central Virginia today).
So I MADE time for my exercise, no worrying about trying to find it.
What if I did this one day a week, from now until the end of May? What kind of difference will this make in my life? Even if it’s a small difference, won’t it eventually stack up with all the other small differences in my life?
What if everyone MADE time to exercise, the same way we seem to make time for Facebook . . . or watching a random TV program . . . or just sitting and staring at a wall? What if we replaced 30 minutes of inactivity with 30 minutes of activity, just once a week? What would happen to us all?
Just some thoughts to ponder, as I also think about the satisfying sound of 10 pins crashing to the wood floor. (That really needs to happen a lot more than it does. I’ll admit, my bowling game sucks right now, which is another reason for me to get into the bowling center more often.)
~Asile, Just Another One Trying (to improve her bowling game!)
Part of being successful at losing weight is incorporating activity, or exercise. This can be a very hard thing to do. One of the biggest excuses--one I’ve often made myself--is “I just can’t find the time for it.” Bull. I can find the time to write this. I can find the time to talk to my best friend. I can find the time to piddle around on Facebook. I can totally find the time to be active.
What we have to start doing is making the time. And there are opportunities all around, if I just choose to take advantage of them. I’m especially lucky, because my job provides a huge, easy opportunity, five days a week. I work for the corporate offices of AMF Bowling Centers, which happens to be attached to one of the bowling centers. And one of the perks of being an employee is a discount on bowling. You may not believe this, but bowling really is exercise, especially if you stay in constant motion and don’t stop to sit down between frames.
I get an hour lunch break every day. How difficult is it to walk from my office to the bowling center . . . get a pair of shoes and a ball . . . and start hurling that ball down the lane at the pins? Based on how often I do it, outside of when we’re having employee leagues, you’d think it was nearly impossible. It shouldn’t be, and it isn’t. Today, it was very easy. In fact, it took me about 40 minutes total to bowl 3 games, and break a little sweat (aided by being dressed warmly because it’s freezing here in central Virginia today).
So I MADE time for my exercise, no worrying about trying to find it.
What if I did this one day a week, from now until the end of May? What kind of difference will this make in my life? Even if it’s a small difference, won’t it eventually stack up with all the other small differences in my life?
What if everyone MADE time to exercise, the same way we seem to make time for Facebook . . . or watching a random TV program . . . or just sitting and staring at a wall? What if we replaced 30 minutes of inactivity with 30 minutes of activity, just once a week? What would happen to us all?
Just some thoughts to ponder, as I also think about the satisfying sound of 10 pins crashing to the wood floor. (That really needs to happen a lot more than it does. I’ll admit, my bowling game sucks right now, which is another reason for me to get into the bowling center more often.)
~Asile, Just Another One Trying (to improve her bowling game!)
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The First Post
So
this is the first post on a new blog among thousands and hundreds of
thousands of blogs out there, and I have to start trying to convince
people -- and myself -- that I really do have something to say that’s
worth reading. But since this is an idea that’s been percolating in my
brain for a while, and I keep coming back to, it seems like one I should
follow through on and make a reality.
I’m sure that my first readers will be family and friends who are nice enough to indulge me by reading this, but just in case there’s a stranger among us, I should start with a bit of an introduction of myself, right? Right. I am.. A wife to a stay-at-home husband/father and a mother to a 4-year-old girl (Lily) and a 2-year-old boy (MJ). A Benefits Administrator for a fairly large company headquartered in the Richmond, VA, area (which I will likely specify later) and with locations nationwide. A working wife and mother trying to balance a job I ultimately love and want to advance in and work with for many years...with being a “good” wife and mother. (Just what is a “good” wife and mother anyway??) A wife and mother trying to balance being a wife and mother with still being just me. A woman who has dropped 40 pounds since the end of January 2012 and is still working to get rid of more so that I can be healthier for myself and for my kids.
I’m trying to get back to my writing, too. I used to do a lot, and I still manage some now and then, but in the last ten years it’s been nothing like it was before. So I hope people will indulge me as I practice here.
I’m going to write about a lot of different things. I picked the title Another One Trying because that’s just what I am. I’m Another One Trying my hand at blogging. I’m Another One Trying my best at balancing work and home and parenting. I’m Another One Trying to become one less Overweight American. I’m Another One Trying just to get through this insanity called Life. So some posts will be about work issues, some about home and parenting things, some about my weight loss journey. . .and some posts will just be about things that interest me, amuse me, or make me feel like I’ve got something that needs to be said.
I can’t promise to have daily posts, because that just isn’t possible. My goal is to post at least once a week, though, to give readers a reason to keep coming back. Which I hope they will do.
I suppose I’ll find out soon!
~Asile, who’s just Another One Trying
I’m sure that my first readers will be family and friends who are nice enough to indulge me by reading this, but just in case there’s a stranger among us, I should start with a bit of an introduction of myself, right? Right. I am.. A wife to a stay-at-home husband/father and a mother to a 4-year-old girl (Lily) and a 2-year-old boy (MJ). A Benefits Administrator for a fairly large company headquartered in the Richmond, VA, area (which I will likely specify later) and with locations nationwide. A working wife and mother trying to balance a job I ultimately love and want to advance in and work with for many years...with being a “good” wife and mother. (Just what is a “good” wife and mother anyway??) A wife and mother trying to balance being a wife and mother with still being just me. A woman who has dropped 40 pounds since the end of January 2012 and is still working to get rid of more so that I can be healthier for myself and for my kids.
I’m trying to get back to my writing, too. I used to do a lot, and I still manage some now and then, but in the last ten years it’s been nothing like it was before. So I hope people will indulge me as I practice here.
I’m going to write about a lot of different things. I picked the title Another One Trying because that’s just what I am. I’m Another One Trying my hand at blogging. I’m Another One Trying my best at balancing work and home and parenting. I’m Another One Trying to become one less Overweight American. I’m Another One Trying just to get through this insanity called Life. So some posts will be about work issues, some about home and parenting things, some about my weight loss journey. . .and some posts will just be about things that interest me, amuse me, or make me feel like I’ve got something that needs to be said.
I can’t promise to have daily posts, because that just isn’t possible. My goal is to post at least once a week, though, to give readers a reason to keep coming back. Which I hope they will do.
I suppose I’ll find out soon!
~Asile, who’s just Another One Trying
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)