Hey folks, it’s been a long and crazy few months since my last comic. Several things have happened and I’ll try to post some comics to explain what’s been going on.
A month or so ago I was diagnosed with chronic depression. This winter had been one of the roughest for me yet, and though I always explained away my “dark moods” as coming in phases or every once in a while when I kept closer track of it, the depression was dominating my life. It has been a crippling thing for me to live with for what seems like a very long time. The drug I was put on has only helped to clear the static from my mind and help me feel more…normal. Therapy has been more than a blessing to me to help sort out some of the collateral damage that living with depression has caused.
I feel like a new person, but not in a crazy “OMG look out world” kind of way…more like Dante, finally emerging from the Inferno only to face the mountain of purgatory. And the air has never been sweeter.
Congrats to you, Sam. A lot of people in my life have been crippled by depression, and it takes courage and self-awareness to take the first step to recognize and attack it. The right drugs can absolutely be a lifesaver and return one’s thoughts to normal, and therapy with it helps with the day-to-day stress. One never understands how deep a hole depression puts you into until you’ve climbed out. Indeed, one doesn’t even understand that you’re standing in a hole.
Don’t be surprised if you don’t become a lot more productive at the drawing board. That strip you did above is great.
Rob, thanks for the kind words. It is amazing how one doesn’t understand the size and scope of the hole depression can create. I’m still just beginning to understand what’s happened. I hope I do find myself more often at the drawing board.
This is one of the best you’ve had in a while. Like it a lot. Your bones cracked me up!
Way to be healthy and get whole. It does take some serious bravery to admit that you’re dealing with problems let alone solve them. Go you! As usual, you’re inspiring.
Thank you Carlie!
I like to see this Sam!
Bones? From the “Got Serotonin” line I though those were nerve synapses. This winter has given me a case of the glumly dithers as well, for some reason, but the warmer weather helps my outlook. One of the most crippling aspects of untreated depression is the utter, absolute certainty one develops of the sheer impossibility that things can ever get better. This pernicious belief is part of the “hole” to which you refer.
Bravo to all those who realize that things need to change and are willing to try meds and therapy. A certain amount of melancholy can be part of the artistic temperament, but too much is just crippling. Good for you that you’re taking positive action, and good for us that we’re seeing new work from you. You may find out that these go hand-in-hand.
You are correct in thinking they were nerve synapses, that’s what I was going for. And, as an aside, the drugs I’m on don’t make me feel less, and I still can get a little down, but the crippling doom cloud isn’t present.