I had a black dog, his name was depression

Summary

This script narrates a personal journey with depression, metaphorically represented as a 'black dog.' It details the overwhelming presence of depression, its unpredictable nature, and the profound impact on daily life, including social interactions and self-perception. The speaker shares the struggle with the 'black dog,' the fear of judgment, and the exhaustion from hiding it. The turning point comes with seeking professional help, learning that depression affects many, and that there's no one-size-fits-all solution. The importance of self-care, exercise, and emotional authenticity is highlighted, along with the power of resilience and the potential for recovery. The speaker concludes with a message of hope, urging those in difficulty to seek help without shame, emphasizing the possibility of taming the 'black dog' through knowledge and support.

Takeaways

• 🐶 The 'black dog' is a metaphor for depression, which can make one feel empty and lifeless.
• 🔍 Depression can appear unexpectedly and make even pleasurable activities lose their appeal.
• 👵 It can make one feel older and more fatigued than usual, affecting one's memory and concentration.
• 🏃‍♂️ Engaging in activities with depression feels like it requires superhuman strength.
• 🤝 Depression can undermine one's confidence in social situations and chase away self-assurance.
• 😟 The fear of being judged and the stigma associated with depression can lead to hiding one's true feelings.
• 💊 There is no one-size-fits-all solution for depression; different approaches work for different people.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressants for treating mild to moderate depression.
• 📔 Keeping a mood journal can help process emotions and provide insights into one's mental state.
• 🙏 It's crucial to seek professional help when feeling overwhelmed by depression.
• 🌟 Learning from the experience with depression can lead to personal growth and a better understanding of one's resilience.

Q & A

What is the 'black dog' metaphorically referring to in the script?

The 'black dog' is a metaphor for depression, indicating the presence of a mental health condition that affects the person's mood and outlook on life.

How does the black dog affect the narrator's perception of life?

The black dog makes the narrator feel empty, slows down life, and causes them to see the world through a negative lens, diminishing their ability to enjoy life's pleasures.

What impact does the black dog have on the narrator's physical well-being?

The black dog causes the narrator to look and feel older, ruins their appetite, and affects their memory and concentration.

How does the black dog influence the narrator's social interactions?

The black dog chases away the narrator's confidence in social situations, making them irritable and difficult to be around, and diminishing their love and intimacy.

What is the narrator's biggest fear regarding the black dog?

The narrator's biggest fear is being found out and judged by others due to the shame and stigma associated with the black dog, which is depression.

How does the narrator initially cope with the black dog?

The narrator tries to cover up the black dog's presence by investing energy into keeping up an emotional lie, which is exhausting.

What is the turning point for the narrator in dealing with the black dog?

The turning point is when the narrator seeks professional help, which is the first step towards recovery and understanding that many people are affected by the black dog.

What strategies does the narrator learn to manage the black dog?

The narrator learns that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and strategies can include medication, being emotionally genuine with close ones, regular exercise, keeping a mood journal, and practicing gratitude.

How does the narrator's perspective on the black dog change over time?

Initially, the black dog is a source of fear and shame, but over time, the narrator learns to not be afraid, re-evaluate life, and simplify, seeing the black dog as a teacher rather than a beast.

What advice does the narrator give to others who might be facing a similar situation?

The narrator advises not to be afraid to ask for help, emphasizing that there is no shame in seeking assistance and that missing out on life is the real shame.

What is the ultimate message the narrator conveys about living with the black dog?

The ultimate message is one of resilience and hope, where the narrator has learned to manage the black dog through knowledge, patience, discipline, and humor, ensuring it no longer controls their life.

Outlines

00:00

🐶 Living with Depression

The speaker metaphorically describes their experience with depression as living with a 'black dog.' This black dog represents the sudden, unwelcome, and unpredictable nature of depression, which can make the sufferer feel empty, aged, and disconnected from life's pleasures. The black dog's presence drains energy, affects appetite, memory, and concentration, and makes social interactions challenging. The speaker's fear of being judged and the stigma associated with depression lead to a constant effort to hide their condition, which is emotionally exhausting. The black dog also induces negative thoughts and behaviors, disrupting the speaker's relationships and overall quality of life.

Keywords

💡Black Dog

The 'Black Dog' is a metaphor for depression used throughout the video. It personifies depression as an ominous presence that follows and influences the speaker’s life. The Black Dog appears unexpectedly, diminishes joy, saps energy, and becomes a constant companion that the speaker learns to manage over time.

💡Depression

Depression in this video is described as an overwhelming and debilitating condition that makes the speaker feel empty, isolated, and devoid of joy. It isn’t just sadness, but a profound lack of feeling that grows worse with time, symbolized by the growing size of the Black Dog.

💡Stigma

Stigma refers to the shame and fear associated with revealing one's mental health struggles. The speaker is afraid of being judged by others for having depression, which leads to emotional exhaustion as they try to hide it. This societal pressure worsens the isolation felt by people dealing with depression.

💡Isolation

Isolation is the feeling of being disconnected from the world and people around you, as described in the video. The Black Dog intensifies the speaker's sense of loneliness, making them feel detached from activities and social interactions, ultimately cutting them off from support and happiness.

💡Self-medication

Self-medication refers to attempts to cope with depression through unhealthy means such as alcohol, drugs, or other forms of escape. In the video, the speaker mentions trying self-medication, but it only exacerbates their condition, showing how it can lead to more harm than help.

💡Recovery

Recovery represents the process of seeking professional help and learning to manage depression. The speaker’s turning point is when they seek help, marking the start of their journey to recovery. It emphasizes that recovery is gradual and requires consistent effort, support, and sometimes medical or therapeutic intervention.

💡Professional help

Professional help refers to the support and guidance offered by mental health professionals, such as therapists or doctors. The speaker highlights the importance of seeking help when dealing with severe depression, indicating it as the pivotal step toward managing their mental health and taming the Black Dog.

💡Emotional authenticity

Emotional authenticity means being genuine and honest with one's feelings, particularly with close relationships. The speaker discovers that being emotionally authentic with loved ones can be transformative in dealing with depression, allowing for better understanding and support.

💡Exercise

Exercise is described as a clinically proven method to help manage mild to moderate depression. In the video, the speaker recommends physical activity, such as walking or running, as a way to combat the symptoms of depression and reduce the influence of the Black Dog.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness involves learning how to quiet the mind and reduce stress, which are essential in managing depression. The speaker suggests that the Black Dog barks louder when one is tired or stressed, so practicing mindfulness helps reduce the impact of depression on daily life.

Highlights

The metaphor of 'black dog' represents depression, illustrating its unpredictable and pervasive nature.

Depression can make one feel empty and lifeless, even when others seem happy.

The black dog's visits are unannounced and can make one appear and feel older.

Depression affects one's ability to enjoy life and engage in pleasurable activities.

The black dog can diminish one's appetite and cognitive functions like memory and concentration.

Engaging in activities or social situations with depression requires extraordinary effort.

Depression can undermine one's confidence and make social interactions difficult.

The fear of being judged and the stigma associated with depression can lead to isolation.

The emotional toll of hiding depression is exhausting and can lead to negative thoughts and irritability.

Depression can disrupt sleep and foster a cycle of negative, repetitive thoughts.

The experience of depression is not just sadness but a profound sense of emptiness.

As one ages, depression can become more persistent and harder to manage.

Self-medication is a common but often ineffective approach to dealing with depression.

Depression can lead to complete isolation and a loss of joy in life.

Seeking professional help is a crucial step towards recovery from depression.

Depression affects people universally, regardless of their status or background.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to depression; different approaches work for different people.

Being open and authentic with close ones can significantly help in managing depression.

Learning to not fear depression and developing coping strategies can help in managing it.

Regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression.

Maintaining a mood journal and practicing gratitude can provide insight and emotional relief.

Depression can be managed with the right steps and support, and the condition is not permanent.

Depression, despite its challenges, can lead to personal growth and a re-evaluation of life.

Asking for help when struggling with depression is essential and carries no shame.

Transcripts

I had a black dog. His name was depression

Whenever the black dog made an appearance,

I felt empty and life seemed to slow down.

He could surprise me with a visit for no reason or occasion.

The black dog made me look and feel older than my years.

When the rest of the world seemed to be enjoying life, I could only see it through the black dog

Activities that usually brought me pleasure, suddenly ceased to.

He liked to ruin my appetite.

He chewed up my memory and ability to concentrate.

Doing anything or going anywhere with the black dog required super human strength.

At social situations, he would sniff out what confidence I had

and chase it away.

My biggest fear was being found out.

I worried that people would judge me.

Because of the shame and stigma of the black dog I was constantly worried that I would be found out.

So I invested vast amounts of energy into covering him up.

Keeping up an emotional lie is exhausting

Black dog could make me think and say negative things.

He could make me irritable and difficult to be around.

He would take my love and bury my intimacy.

He loved nothing more than to wake me up with highly repetitive and negative thinking.

He also liked to remind me how exhausted I was going to be the next day.

Having a black dog in your life isn’t so much about feeling a bit down, sad or blue...

at its worst it’s about being devoid of feeling altogether.

As I got older the black dog got bigger

and he started hanging around all the time.

I’d chase him off with whatever I thought might send him running.

But more often than not he’d come out on top

going down became easier than getting up again.

So I became rather good at self medication...

which never really helped.

Eventually I felt totally isolated from everything and everyone.

The black dog had finally succeeded in hijacking my life.

When you lose all joy in life you can begin to question what the point of it is.

Thankfully this was the time that I sought professional help.

This was my first step towards recovery and a major turning point in my life

I learnt that it doesn’t matter who you are

the black dog affects millions and millions of people;

it is an equal opportunity mongrel.

I also learnt that there was no silver bullet or magic pill.

Medication can help some and others might need a different approach altogether.

I also learnt that being emotionally genuine and authentic to those who are close to you,

can be an absolute game changer.

Most importantly I learnt not to be afraid of the black dog and I taught him a few new tricks of my own.

The more tired and stressed you are the louder he barks,

so it’s important to learn how to quiet your mind.

It’s been clinically proven that regular exercise

can be as effective for treating mild to moderate depression as antidepressants.

So go for a walk or a run and leave the mutt behind.

Keep a mood journal; getting your thoughts on paper can be cathartic and often insightful

Also keep track of the things that you have to be grateful for.

The most important thing to remember is that no matter how bad it gets…

if you take the right steps, talk to the right people, black dog days can and will pass.

I wouldn’t say that I’m grateful for the black dog but he has been an incredible teacher.

He forced me to re-evaluate and simplify my life.

I learnt that rather than running away from my problems it’s better to embrace them.

The black dog may always be part of my life

but he will never be the beast that he was.

We have an understanding.

I’ve learnt through knowledge, patience, discipline and humour

the worst black dog can be made to heel.

If you are in difficulty, never be afraid to ask for help.

There is absolutely no shame in doing so

the only shame is missing out on life.