Managing My Depression In The Midst Of Trauma

I have suffered from insidious depression for at least 39 of my nearly 54 years of living. At this point, I have lived with depression long enough to know that I am extremely sensitive to human suffering and trauma. Like many people around the world I have been deeply affected by last week's senseless and horrific murders of seven men. Let me quickly state that I was not privileged to know these men and recognize that my grief is nothing compared to that experienced by their families. That said last week's constant drum beat of murder mixed with the hate spewed across social media has left me beaten, bereft, and broken. In short, I am now ripe for a depression crisis and must take extraordinary measures to avoid it. Last Tuesday, I watched video footage of Alton Sterling's murder multiple times. The video was gut-wrenching. Then the piercing and painful soul cry of Cameron Sterling, Alton Sterling's oldest son, sent me reeling. My heart ached for Cameron because nothing could be done to ease or erase his pain. Oddly it was Quinyetta McMillon's ability to maintain her composure in the midst of Cameron's suffering that kept me from coming completely undone. Philando Castile was murdered before I could regain my emotional composure. Until Mr. Castile's murder, I had managed to absorb the biting injustice associated with the murders of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Jordan Davis, Sandra Bland, John Crawford, Freddie Gray, LaQuan McDonald, and Tamir Rice. Mr. Castile's ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news