Ahh…my old nemesis, depression. He and I have a long, sordid, complicated relationship, but I’ll get to that in a moment, Minions. First, I want to tell you why I’m blogging about depression today.

On Facebook, a Minion said this:

hi auntie heather i have a question for you, when you where younger and battling depression how did you overcome it? I’ve been battling depression on and off for years now and it always seems to creep up on me. can you please tell me your awesome super ways of battling depression? thanks.

I’ve been receiving similar emails and messages and tweets for some time, so I thought it might be something we should discuss. But first, what is depression? According to our good buddy Merriam Webster, it’s

(1) : a state of feeling sad : dejection (2) : a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies

And the U.S. National Library of Medicine describes depression as something like this:

Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods.

True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer.

But we can all agree that depression – whether major or minor sucks. Big time. And if you think depression is a myth, or something easy to experience, then you can just stop reading right here. Because it’s not. It’s awful. I know first hand, as do many Minions, and it’s time we discuss it. (except, of course, for the aforementioned doubters – you can all go frolic through a field of wildflowers – P.S. watch out for Cecile)

Now, Minions, go back up and reread that Minion’s question. Then I’ll answer it. No worries! I’ll wait. *hold music plays*

Back now? Cool. Because here’s the truth. And the truth, my Minions, my quirky little fans, my omnipotent, tiny lil gods, is something that your Auntie Heather will always give you. Because, while make believe is fun, the truth is important. And speaking the truth is the most important thing.

So…when I was younger and battling depression, how did I overcome it? Good question. It shows this Minion has been paying attention. Maybe they’ve heard me talk about my depression before, or maybe they just realize that most people go through it at one time or another. Regardless, it’s a good question. How did I? Well…the truth is…not very well. Not at first.

See, I had a fairly chaotic childhood. Five house fires. A lot of moving around (mostly due to those fires). Tumultuous family relationships. An intense amount of bullying. I wasn’t happy. And at the same time, I was convinced that I was somehow…wrong…weird, a freak, broken…for feeling the way that I did. I became suicidal, and felt like maybe the world would be a better place without me.

Can you imagine that, Minions? A world without your Auntie Heather? No Minion Horde. No Vlad. No Joss. No books. No jokes about bacon and its involvement in our eventual world domination. Scary, right?

But that’s what depression (my old nemesis) does. He whispers things into your ear – words that fill you will self-doubt; words that inspire loneliness, anger and frustration. He lies to you, Minions. Depression will do anything to get into your head, and it’s not always easy to get him to shut up.

I’m very lucky for two things: 1) That I am stubborn and 2) That I dislike pain. They saved my life. Mostly that first one, I think. Because if I’d taken my own life – if I’d done the most selfish, horrible thing I can imagine and committed suicide, then the bullies would have won. I would have just given in, given up without a fight…and your Auntie, Minions, she’s a fighter. There was no way I was letting my tormentors win.

But it wasn’t ~just~ stubbornness and fear of pain that saved me. It was those things that kept the Dark Place at bay for a while. Until I met other people like me, other freaky weirdos who totally dug my freaky weirdness. I started talking about my feelings, about being depressed, about the Dark Place. And they understood. And slowly, my depression went away.

Sure, he rears his ugly head up now and again. I just recently had a major bout of self doubt (oooh, a rhyme!), but that wasn’t me talking and I know it. It was Depression’s voice, whispering in my ear again. Lying. Again.

And he always will. I just have to see through his lies. Because I’m worth the fight. I’m the supreme ruler of the Minion Horde – the coolest people I know, and I’ll be damned if some stupid little whisper in my ear is going to keep me down.

So how do I face depression now? I named him. His name is “Fuddy”. And whenever he starts whispering, I roll my eyes and say (yes, out loud), “Shut up, Fuddy!” and I instantly feel a bit better. Because I’m stubborn. And I’m not going to let any bully – particularly one who lives inside my skull – win. Ever.

And you shouldn’t either.

For more information on depression, what it is, and how to handle it, please go HERE, and if you’re having suicidal thoughts, please call 1-800-SUICIDE right away and speak to someone about those feelings.

Also – and this is important, Minions – please understand that, to some, the only method of dealing with it is medication. And there’s not a damn thing wrong with that.