Hello. My name is Mark, and I have recently been on a journey. But this was no ordinary journey. This was the scariest, most daunting and challenging, yet greatest, most exhilarating and rewarding journey I’ve ever been on. It took me by plane and train, car and boat, bike and foot; from the brightest, bluest skies to the deepest, darkest caves; from the greatest of cities to the simplicity of the countryside, across many continents and countries. And without ruining it for you, I am pleased to say that the story of this journey has a happy ending.
I’ve seen my fair share of the world, and yet this story has nothing to do with the actual places I’ve been to. The particular journey I’m referring to all took place within my head. This is the story of my own personal battle with anxiety and depression, my long, slow dance with the black dog.
As I write, I am a happy and healthy forty-year-old Scotsman of Italian descent; I’ve been living in Melbourne for 14 years. I’ve been married to the beautiful Tess for nine years, and we have two adorable sons – Jack, five and Freddie, two. We’ve lived near the beach for six years now, and I regularly go running there in the sun. I have the perfect life – or so it seems. But one thing I’ve discovered is that depression has nothing to do with the things you have.
As a kid growing up in dreary Glasgow, where at times it felt like it was raining (horizontally) all summer long, and the annual heatwave (if any) might be measured in minutes rather than days, I used to dream of a life like the one I now have. Good things happened to others, not to me. But for more than a year now, life has never been better. To complete my brief resume, one of the main reasons why life has never been better for only a year is because I spoke up and took action against my anxiety and depression. I took on my demons – and I won!
The purpose of telling my story is to address misunderstandings – around the stigma of mental conditions, of seeing a psychologist, of being on medication – and what they are all really like. These are not things to be ashamed of, they are not weaknesses in any way, and they are far more prevalent than most people realise.
To those who are suffering – no matter how deep your depression, how irrational your worries or how gripping your anxiety, you are not a mad, crazy nutter. These demons CAN be beaten; you CAN go on to experience a far more enjoyable – more normal – life than you ever thought possible. You can also become more capable, rather than less capable than ever before. The first and most important, yet hardest and bravest step you need to take is to speak up, to seek help. And with that first step comes hope.
If you want to read more of Mark’s story, you can do so at www.dancingwiththeblackdog.com
