Last night I performed at the Christmas Volunteer Appreciation Dinner of the Canadian Mental Health Association (York Region Branch). What a wonderful group of people! Many of the volunteers themselves have been diagnosed with a mental illness. They have received support and help from this wonderful organization and as a way of giving back and contributing, they serve as volunteers to help others in need. Many of these folks live in difficult financial circumstances, yet they demonstrate an incredible spirit of generosity. They are a living testimony to me that life is not measured by how much you own, but by how much you are willing to give of yourself.
I performed a short set for about 15 minutes. Towards the end I said that despite being a season of joy and celebration, for many of us Christmas is a difficult time. I ended the set with the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” as an encouragement and blessing to them.
The MC remarked about the healing power of music as she brought the evening to a close. Afterwards an older gentleman came up to talk with me. We talked about the realities of living with depression. I told him hwo music has always given me that safe place of retreat even during my darkest days. He then told me that he had decided to learn to play the guitar! Horray for another guitar convert!! 
Another gentleman told me that he started playing with the idea of joining his church choir. I witness again that not only does music has a power to heal, but it also has a way of breaking down barriers and bringing people together.
As I walked out the door, a lady shook my hand and simply said, “Keep singing!” I was reminded once again, that my “calling” in life is to be a messenger, using words and music to bring encouragement and hope. The goal is simple: Everyday striving to be a better person than I was yesterday, and hopefully inspiring others to do the same.
For all my musician friends: Keep singing, keep playing, don’t ever stop. Someone is listening. Just as you think no one is bothering to listen, someone comes along to remind you: “Keep Singing!”
This friday I am going to try my hand at “Street Singing” I am volunteering to watch the Salvation Army Kettle at Hillcrest Mall (Yonge and 16th) from 2-4pm and I figured I’d bring my guitar along and just sing to the people passing by in the mall. It should be fun
So…look after yourselves during this season, and have yourself a merry little Christmas
Last week we saw in the news the tragic death of Robert Enke, a top German professional soccer goal keeper. At the height of his career, Robert Enke took his own life. It was only after his passing that details of his battle with depression were made known to the public. Those close to Enke revealed that even though as a professional athlete he had access to a medical and psychiatric support system that is beyond the reach of the average person, he was hesitant to admit to the problem. Partly because of the stigma associated with mental health, and partly out of fear of how an admission like that would affect his career.
Reading about Enke’s experience made me feel that his life and mine are connected in the most unusual way: We’ve both shared that split second moment where we had to make most unthinkable decision a person will ever face: “Do I want to keep living?”
In that one split second that forever joined our lives, he had to decide whether to step in front of a train, where I had to choose whether to drive in front of a truck. Why did I turn back while he didn’t? I don’t know. I don’t think anyone ever will.
But regardless, I feel that I now have a responsibility to share my story with others so hopefully they will never have to face that choice.
I have been asked often what is the difference between “clinical depression” and feelings of being “down” that all of us experience every now and then. I need to be absolutely clear here: I am NOT a psychiatrist and I am NOT qualified to give clinical or diagnostic advice. I can only share from my personal experiences. For me, the one signal that alerted me was the chronic nature of my depression. It shadowed me day in and out, never seeming to lift. As I wrote in my earlier post, when a person is face with a chronic pain, the most natural reaction is to seek relief. And because the pain never goes away, the person keeps returning to the activity or substance that promises short term relief. The result is obvious: addiction.
For myself, the first thing I turned to was alcohol. Being a minister for almost 20 years, I had never been much of a drinker. When I first started drinking, it seemed to do the trick: it didn’t take much to knock me out, and put me to sleep. I was able to experience pain-free sleep for at least a few hours.
But, as with any addictive substance, the “effects” never lasts. I ended up drinking more and more, but rather than relieving my pain, alcohol simply paralyzed my body, but the saddness, the pain never lifted. I ended up even more miserable. Much of this was happening while I was still a minister, so I had to keep my struggle a secret. I was thankful that with counseling and medication, I was able to realize “early” that alcohol was not the answer. This did not take away my depression right away and my personal life would continue to spiral down before it hit rock bottom, but I was at least grateful that I was able to turn back before alcohol manage to fix its grip on me.
I have no idea who will read this, but my message to those who are in similar situations is simple: Please get help. I know the temptation to try to “fix” things yourself is strong, and I know it is frightening to come out to admit to the problem. I also have to be honest in admitting that not everyone will be able to understand or extend to you the kindness that you hope for. I have experienced rejection and condemnation from some of my closest “friends”. But the good news is that some will understand, some will go out of their way to be kind, real help is available and you WILL get better. But YOU have to be willing to take that first step towards being well.
And you know what? Regardless of what you may feel or think, YOU ARE WORTH IT! You deserve to be well. Please believe that.
My hope is that as more and more of us who live with depression and mental health issues share our stories, this will lead to more of an attitude and culture of kindness and understanding. Which hopefully in turn will make it “easier” for people to seek help from those around them.
In a couple of weeks I will be giving a talk on the attitudes towards mental health in the Chinese/Asian religious community. I hope some good will come from that.
Also, towards the end of November I will begin posting a new series of articles on the Lone Voice Workshop website written by people who live with mental health conditions. The series will start with the transcript of a round table discussion I will be hosting with them. The article should appear early in December on the Lone Voice Workshop site. Please stay tuned for that.
Please feel free to connect with me further if you’d like to talk. Thanks for reading.
