LIFT YOURSELF OUT OF DEPRESSION: TEEN BLOG

Seventeen-year-old Steven was convicted of a crime he hadn’t committed.

He was confined to spend the rest of his life in a prison cell of 14 feet by 20 feet. He had little to do barring reading the daily newspaper, which felt like a cruel reminder of the outside world.

Steven sat down, sighing deeply, thinking about his future…

His connection to the world was stripped away. And the rest of his life was going to be coloured grey.

His body was going to deteriorate. Soon he wouldn’t remember what his face looked like. He would grow so tired of talking to himself that he would start talking in his own head.

What could he do past counting the bricks on the wall? There wasn’t a single crack in the walls he hadn’t taken notice of. He grew so tired of life that he would just sit on his bed and squeeze his body to himself.

A prison guard was to walk on the top of his cell for the rest of his life. He would be kept contained in the prison for 23 hours a day.

The poor lad would be subjected to full body inspections every day in clear view of the other prisoners. His baths would have no privacy whatsoever either.

He would never hug his family members again. Never eat good food. Never get the opportunity to chase his dreams. Never seek the pleasure of holding his baby in his arms.

Now pause. Right there.

Look around your room.

At all the vibrant colours. At the unlocked door. At the free access to food and clothes—right by your side.

This makes you feel blessed, doesn’t it?

The thing is, you are blessed. 

Consider all those little things you’ve ignored throughout your life: your will, health, freedom, family, friends, and most importantly, your future. All of them are wholly under your control. 

Happiness is merely a single word to describe our acknowledgment of the things we have. This is the mistake that everyone makes—searching for happiness when it is all around them.

“I cried because I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.” – Wally Lamb.

Be happy. Stay blessed.

*Steven is a fictional character.

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Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of my imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental. || Contents of this story should not be reproduced in any manner without permission.