Are You Severely Depressed or Are You Looking at Life Through a Microscope? by Joshua J. Warren

You wake up and get ready for the day. You don't want to say that you hate your job because it pays the bills, it may even get you everything you ever wanted. You brush your teeth, eat breakfast, jump in your clothes, then you're on your way. You work eight to twelve hours, get off and head to the gym or to grab a bite and then you're spent for the day. Then you get up and do it all over again the next day. You want more. You know there's more out there, but this is what you have to do until the breakthrough happens, right?

A lot of us tend to endure this type of reality. We really wish that things could be different, but this is where we are and we've worked so hard to get here. We're on the corporate ladder and are working day in and day out to get to the top so we can retire and live life. But this life makes us feel drained and dry. We squeeze in fun if we feel like it, but most of the time we don't. We hate it...but that's life, right?

Many times when we find ourselves in these types of situations we think that this is what it means to be an adult. Endure hardship in order to take care of your responsibilities. At least that's what our parents made us believe. We have to do what we have to do in order to survive and that's it. This pulls us into a deep spiral that we like to call "depression." But is it depression or is it something else?

Depression is defined as feelings of  severe despondency or dejection. That's a fancy way of saying you're low in spirit. Many times when we find ourselves in troubling situations or monotonous cycles of repetition, we end up believing that we are depressed. We lose interest in things because of lack of energy and we may even allow the security of our circumstances to control our lives to the point that it drives us insane. We think that we have to tailor ourselves to maintain a job or keep up an image to be known and loved all so we can stay afloat financially. This weighs on our spirit, then we end up feeling like the world is crashing down on us.

What we fail to realize is that money, our jobs, our circles nor our circumstances control our lives. We do! When we get into a cycle, whether comfortable or not, and we are able to fool ourselves into thinking that we can tolerate it in order to receive whatever little results that it yields, we tend to zoom all the way into that reality. We start to look at life as though we're looking through the lens of a microscope. Therefore, we never see the full picture. When we do this we miss out on the things that are possible around us everyday and the result of that adds to the feeling of frustration that we already feel from work or our circumstances. We might see that others are opting out of the rat race or even winning at it, then we compare what's under our microscope to what's under theirs. After that, a slew of negative thoughts and feelings result from it (yes I said slew...I'm from Oklahoma).

So how do we overcome this? It's actually easier than we lead ourselves to believe. All we have to do is look up from the microscope. We have to remind ourselves that we applied for that job and that we can apply for others. We live in this town that may not have many opportunities, but we can always move or create our own opportunities by starting our own organizations and businesses. Sometimes the lives that we were born into or the circumstances that we have endured keep us bound to looking through that lens. It may be hard to look away and see that there are other options. And just being honest, it's one hundred times harder for people of color because we have systemic oppression that acts as additional barriers to keep us under the belief that what we can do and be is limited. But today I'm going to tell you that you don't have to let it be.

When we choose to look up from that microscope and zoom out, we get a chance to see that life is much bigger than what's in front of us right now. Look beyond the limitations and beyond the environment. Look beyond the people that say you can't and the thoughts of "it's never going to happen because_______." Know and understand that knowledge is available to those who seek it. Help is available to those who ask for it. It may not happen over night, but if you are diligent and persistent you can't help but win. God honors those that trust in him, aligns with what he speaks into their lives and chases their passion with the fire that burns within them. He put us all here for a purpose and the way that we honor God and give him praise is by aligning with and doing our passion.

When we choose to look beyond the circumstances and press through the stuff that we try to avoid, we drop the baggage that's weighing us down and start moving a little more freely. If you don't like your job, find a new one. If your man/woman isn't treating you right or feeding your spirit, find someone who will. If you've made some mistakes and have to climb your way out of the hole, find a support group and do what you have to do to make it happen. Every day is a new chance to move beyond the microscope and live life the way that God intended for us to live it. We need not let the chains of psychological oppression keep us stuck for any longer because we are the masters of our fate and the captains of our souls. Let God be the author and finisher of how it happens, trust that he will make a way and do your part to find what you were put here to do and chase it with all that's within you. It won't be easy, but I guarantee that it will be worth it.

So are you depressed? Maybe. A doctor may be able to tell you better than I can, but if you haven't tried looking beyond that microscope to discover what life really has to offer, I suggest giving that a try. Pray and meditate to align yourself with the voice of God that's within you. Ask yourself what you like and what you're good at. Really get to know yourself and discover what you bring to the universe that no one else does and use that to spread love, peace, joy and togetherness. When we do that there is no way that we can be depressed because we understand that life has much more to offer than the icky stuff that's going on right now. Whatever you're enduring right now is only preparing you for where you'll end up later when you choose to take back the keys to your life. Remember, knowledge and help is always available to those that seek it and you always have a village to support you when you ask for it. Be blessed and don't let circumstances rob you of your light. Protect it with all of your might and let it shine for everybody to see.