AS PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN IN MY NATRUAL ME BLOG

Recently in substance abuse counseling class, we were discussing the ability to acknowledge depression. Someone from another country stated that to her, the idea of being depressed was foreign, because in their country, people have so many struggles and trials that they don’t stop and think about being depressed.

Someone else shared that where they grew up, their entire country was being abused and that left the people without many resources they needed to just survive. Growing up homeless, her mother didn’t have the time to be depressed. She then said that unlike them, we have the privilege of being depressed.

I had to sit with that for a moment and realize how powerful that statement was. It took me back to my family and the generations that came before me. Although, as I mention in my book, Celebrating A Legacy of Courage and Resolve, they went through abuse, single parenting, domestic violence and more, they never acknowledged depression because they were too busy surviving. And yes, they had negative coping skills but they just weren’t privileged to acknowledge, accept, and address their own depression.

Usually when we think about privilege, we are thinking from the standpoint of racial and ethnic privileges, but think for a moment of the privilege we have in this current day in our society. We can address mental illness and make choices to seek medical help for depression and anxiety and, most times, there are free resources available. We can get the help we need so that we can take control of our circumstances and avoid coping in ways that may harm ourselves and others.

So, what will you do with your privilege? Can you take advantage of the resources available that others before us fought to make sure we would have? Will you realize you don’t have to walk around feeling bad and allowing that pain to hurt yourselves and others? When possible, will you use your freedom to help others know that they too can get help?

Use your privilege wisely!