I woke up feeling very positive this morning. I was laying in bed thinking about what I could say to help the attendees of the Brisbane memorial that I’m hosting come to terms with Chester’s passing and then One More Light started playing and I cried my eyes out. That was cathartic and I’m feeling very positive again, so I guess what I have to say this morning is this:
As emotions arise, allow them to take their due course, but don’t dwell on them after the moment has passed. We aren’t powerless against our depression. Yes, Chester lost to the demons he was fighting, but that doesn’t mean you will too. We need to let what happened to him serve as a wake up call. I strongly believe that Chester thinking his mind had settled was his downfall. Please don’t make the same mistake of ever thinking that the battle is won because that’s when you’re most vulnerable. Depression is an ongoing battle that you’ll only truly have won once you’ve passed in a way that wasn’t at your own hand. We can still make great progress though and live pleasant, meaningful and productive lives by learning how to better respond to depression with reason, as opposed to reacting to it with emotion. What happened to Chester was tragic, but it’s over; it’s in the past. At some point we need to refocus on the future and how to help stop other people from going through what he went through. I hope this post helps at least one of you. Please take care today.