This is a topic that gets a lot of attention and it should. Maybe I’m not remembering correctly but I feel like this topic has grown more and more over the past ten years or so (but I could be completely wrong on that).

I’ll be 100% honest here too. This is not a topic I am an expert with nor do I claim to be. I know very little about any of this. As a matter of fact, depression and mental illness is not something I’ve ever really experienced. I know people personally who battle this but, thank the Lord, I have never dealt with this personally.

Now, that being said, I am aware this is a real issue and something a lot of people have and are dealing with. I want to say all of that to make sure it’s understood I am not making light nor trying to diminish this in any way by something I may say in this post.

A quick search on the word “Depression” in Duck Duck Go came up with links such as these:
- Top 10 Mental Health Services - Depression Symptoms - Depression (major depressive disorder) - Symptoms and causes

The list goes on and on. Why? Because this is a very real issue we are dealing with in our society. As a society it seems we are more depressed than ever. I have zero reason why (because I’m not a doctor or scientist or anyone who studies this).

I love how big tech companies are trying to make changes to combat this though. Speaking mainly from the  ecosystem here since that’s what I use. They have added “Mental Wellbeing” to their health app. This is in the new iOS 17 that will be releasing next month.

It’s nothing major but it’s something simple that they have put into a device you are already carrying around to just check in mentally. The new mental health features allow users to log their momentary emotions and daily moods, see valuable insights, and easily access assessments and resources.

Our goal is to empower people to take charge of their own health journey. With these innovative new features, we’re expanding the comprehensive range of health and wellness tools that we offer our users across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Mental health and vision health are important, but often overlooked, and we’re excited to introduce features that offer valuable new insights to provide users with an even better understanding of their health. These insights help support users in their daily decisions and offer more informed conversations with their doctors.

- Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health.

The following was pulled from the Apple Newsroom

Mental health is as important as physical health and affects people every day in how they think, feel, and act.

Research shows that reflecting on one’s own mental state can help build emotional awareness and resilience. According to Dr. Michelle Craske, a distinguished professor of psychology and psychiatry at UCLA, who echoes many in the field, “Identifying our feelings has been shown to help us manage difficult emotions, appreciate positive moments, and improve wellbeing.” Multiple studies by researchers have shown that identifying feelings reduces emotions like sadness and anger, and positively impacts our body by slowing our heart rate. Additionally, in a survey of participants in the UCLA Digital Mental Health Study, initial results showed more than 80 percent of participants found reflecting on their mood in the study app increased emotional awareness, and about half said it increased wellbeing.

This isn’t a sales pitch to go out and by an  device but it is a post to show how big companies are starting to take notice of this issue.

Think about it, we are constantly bombarded with information. And a lot of it is usually negative. Watch the news (any station) and you’re going to see nine negative stories for every one positive story. The news stations compete with each other to try and break the biggest and latest story. (I have relatives that will watch these news channels all day, every day.)

If it’s not the news, it’s something on social media that is bombarding us with negativity. Friends and family are griping about how they got treated at a restaurant or how they hate their job, etc. We are surrounded by negative feelings and negative energy.

We are also an extremely busy society. This is a subject I should probably not talk too much about. Between juggling a day job, four or five side jobs, and maintaining a home life I know how busy life can get. This doesn’t include any other projects that I’m currently working on like writing a book and church responsibilities. I am just one person and I know most people are just as busy if not busier than I am. That takes a toll on someone mentally if they’re not careful.

Then there’s the constant idea of I’m not good enough. I don’t have enough money. I don’t look a certain way. I don’t drive a fancy car. Social media has been terrible with this. People put on social media what they want people to see. Instagram is full of pictures and videos for people driving expensive cars or traveling to Europe. You see their big houses and fancy and you start wondering why you can’t have these things also. Facebook is just as bad. What you don’t see is the huge amount of debt they accumulated to live that lifestyle. You don’t see the hard work they put in every single day to have these things. You don’t know the reason why they are doing this is because they’re hurting inside and trying to find something to ease the pain and make them feel better.

Again I do not have the answers on how to fix this. I wish I did. I decided a while back that I wanted to start working on myself to try and make sure I didn’t get to a place where mental illness was something I had to battle. I have been taking advantage of the new mental wellbeing feature on the iPhone. I downloaded the beta and have been tracking things. Several times a day (usually 10am, 3pm and then 9pm) I will track how I’m feeling and why. It takes about 30 seconds to do.

I also started journaling. Every night I journal. Sometimes I do it digitally. Sometimes I write things out in a notebook. Just however I’m feeling that day. I’m not sure if it helps or not but sometimes it’s nice to just be able to vent and get everything out of your mind. Journaling allows me to do this.

Another thing I did is walked away from social media. I’m going to post this on all the social media platforms but I haven’t been on Facebook since the end of May. And I’m not missing it at all. Instagram is the same way. I have deleted them off my devices and I haven’t missed anything.

Something else I’m doing is working out every day outside during the summer. I have a gym membership but I’ve been enjoying the sunshine a lot this summer. I’ll get back into the gym this fall and winter but for now I’m enjoying the sunshine.

Now this is all stuff I’m doing but, as I’ve already said, this is also not something I’ve dealt with before. So I’m not sure if any of this stuff is helping me or not. I mean I know it’s helping me. I just don’t know if it’s helping my mind.

Lastly, I would like to say this. A good friend of mine who is a local radio DJ is constantly putting on Facebook and Twitter (and I’ve heard him say it over the radio), if you need someone to talk to, that his DM’s are always open. I think that’s a big key. Find someone you can talk to. If you’re struggling, call someone. There are hotlines out there I know. You can reach out to me. I will talk to anyone. That’s the important thing here. Find someone you can talk to. You are a here by design and for a reason.