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5 nasty lies depression wants you to believe
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Dont believe any of it. You can fight back. You can conquer. - photo by Alyssa White
Depression is the ultimate villain. It brainwashes you, hoping you will succumb to its darkness, apathy and despair. But you must fight back. You must never surrender. And in order to conquer the enemy, you must understand its tactics.

Here are 5 treacherous lies depression wants you to believe:

1. Depression isnt real

No, depression isn't really a thing. Depression is just the word people use when someone is really sad, sensitive, fragile and dramatic.

(Or) Depression is for people who have gone through horrific events and are totally screwed up. That cant possibly be something you have.

2. Theres a reason youre not happy, and its your fault

You just need to do better and be better. God says happiness is always given to good, righteous people; so perhaps youre sinning. There has to be a reason youre feeling this way.

You just need to be perfect. You need to be skinnier and dress better. You need to be more fun, outgoing, skilled, smart and ambitious. You need someone to love you and validate youthen youll be happy. Youre just not good enough right now.

3. Youre stuck like this

Give up now. Youre depressed, and theres nothing you can do about it. Accept the fact that your life will be sad, lifeless and dull forever.

Youve screwed up relationships and will continue to do so. Your family is tired of dealing with your issues, and your friends dont want to be bothered.

4. Youre too weak and broken to do anything

People dont need help from someone with a mental illness. You are unfit to give advice or serve in any capacity. No one wants a depressed employee, and youre certainly too weak to contribute anyways.

Retreat into your dark lair of TV shows and terrible sleeping habits. Thats where you belong right now.

5. You dont matter

Life continues just fine without you. While not wanting to get out of bed, you scroll through your Instagram feed and everyone you know is doing great: marriages, babies, graduations, new jobs, perfect vacations and flawless snapshots of "everyday" living.

Everyone looks so happy. Everyone is succeeding and living their dreams. No one really cares youre trudging through the worst days of your life. You dont matter.

LIES. Totally, completely NOT TRUE.

Depression is real. According to Harvard Medical School, factors such as genetics, stressful life events and biological makeup interact to bring on depression. These elements change brain chemicals and nerve connections that regulate your mood, perceptions and how you experience life. Depression really is a disease, and theres lots of research to prove it.

You dont feel right and youre not happy because of the disease. Its not because of the thousands of reasons that plague your mind every day. You may deal with depression for a few months or your whole life, but things will always get better. Bad days come to an end, and you can get help.

Although you are dealing with a serious illness, you can do something about it. You can get medical attention. You can exercise. You can set goals and work to be happy and content, independent of anyone or anything else. You can lift and inspire and serve and do so much good. You can empathize with others better than ever before. People still need your light, even if its flickering low right now.

You can get out of bed each morning and fight the despair. You can fill your life with positive, uplifting things. You can smile and laugh and be grateful. You can learn and work and overcome. You can conquer.

You really can.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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