The Hidden Burden of Depression and Anxiety Among Young People

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

By Florence Shadrack 

“You are too young to be depressed.”

(Mis)Diagnosing Depression

Photo by Ian Espinosa on Unsplash

I was at a literary event recently when the conversation swung to depression. It started when a man presented a poem about this state of mental health and suggested that ‘a smile, a hug, and some love’ could get people out of their depressed state. For the most part, the poem resonated with people because it was relatively well written and delivered, and being a sensitive topic, people could relate; or so I assumed.

Quick Sand on a Plateau

Picture: Trend Prive Magazine

She always knew she wanted to be rich and famous; she wanted the world to know her name, girls to aspire to be her, and boys to want to marry her. She wanted to leave a legacy of strength, ambition, love, change, power, and wisdom. She knew it was conceited, but she wanted people across the globe to know her name…for her principles, her drive, and her humanity. She didn’t want to die without having left a mark in the sands of time. And best of all, she didn’t want the fame or money for just herself; she wanted it for everyone she knew.

Find Your Motivation

Today I woke up with absolutely no desire to do anything. I was burned out physically and emotionally and I was beginning to feel like my life could be likened to a hamster and her Ferris wheel.

Dealing With Body Shaming

Hi.

So let us talk about my weight gain, shall we?

In the past few months, I have put on more of those pounds in some areas I like (wink) and in some, I don’t. At the beginning of the year, I was a size 14; now, I am a size 16. This has meant getting bigger clothes, worrying about not being able to tuck in my belly anymore and generally feeling out of sorts with them Christian mother upper arms. That is where the rosy stuff ends. Imagine that this is what I call rosy.

A few weeks ago, I went out to get something for breakfast and this okada rider whom I have known for a while was passing by. I said hello and continued on my way. The man stopped his okada and said hello. I saw that he wanted to tell me something so I went back to hear him out. I assumed what he wanted to tell me must be pretty important because he was willing to waste the time of his customers to talk to me. He looked at me and said, ‘Do you know that you have multiplied? You are so fat now oh! E be like say this Buhari regime no dey affect you. This fatness too much na!’