Instead of using medication as a remedy for struggling with depression and other mental illnesses, we should try spirituality!
Although struggling with depression, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses makes us feel alone in the world, rest assured, we are not.
Unfortunately, there are millions who suffer from mental illness and millions who rely on medications to help them get through the day. I think this is depressing, and I wish to find a different way to deal with my own mental illness.
I never thought I would find answers from a celebrity. That’s right, actor Jim Carrey made me think a little deeper about my illness and how I could view depression and bipolar disorder in a different light.
Living in low-level despair
Jim Carrey lived in a low-level despair while struggling with depression. His years of taking Prozac only managed to help him wear a mask for society, his family and his work. For him, medications didn’t seem to solve any problems, only create a “better person” so others wouldn’t have to deal with the chaos. This I can relate to in so many ways.
Carrey speaks freely about life on Prozac,
“It feels like a low level of despair that you’re in. You’re not getting any answers but you’re living okay and smiling at the office…but it’s a low level of despair.”
Jim Carrey realized that the Prozac was leading to nowhere, and so he stopped taking it. Then he went on to eliminate all forms of drugs, alcohol, and even coffee from his daily routine. In place of these substances, Carrey implemented spirituality to help him while struggling with depression.
Religion, to Jim Carrey, was an outlet for his mental illness!
He focuses on the beauty of the world, and he also feels strongly about religion – not a fragmented form of awakening, mind you, but a full expression of his beliefs regardless of being called a fanatic. When asked if he was a Buddhist, Carrey replied,
“I’m a Buddhist, I’m a Christian, I’m a Muslim…I am whatever you want me to be. It all comes down to whether you are in a loving place or an unloving place. When you are with me, you can’t help but be happy.”
What a positive reinforcement this is!
Instead of staying down, struggling with depression or instead of fighting bouts of anxiety and mania, Carrey chooses to find a place of harmony with himself, just as he is.
I can attest to this feeling, especially after ditching medications which, in time, dealt physical damage to my body and mind. Hearing a different perspective on healing mental illness is refreshing. I too want to rest in my spirit and let things unfold as they may.
Now, what’s so bad about that?
I think we can all learn so much from Carrey. Not only are his words insightful and entertaining, they are also enlightening, promising more for us who struggle with depression and other mental illness. Life cannot possibly be about control and wearing a mask to make others comfortable. I believe life is exactly how Carrey explained it.
Either you are in a loving place or an unloving place. It really is up to you!
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