Show a little respect

First and foremost, I apologise for the long spell of silence.  Unfortunately, the depression had taken such a strong grip that I could not ignore the ‘You can’t write!’ and ‘Nobody reads these.’ thoughts.  Whilst I struggle to ignore these thoughts I shall write my blogs for my purpose of therapy, if nothing else.

As a student studying counselling skills one cannot avoid self-reflecting.  Since my teen years, where I spent many hours alone, self-reflecting has become a habit.  Whilst it is useful to think back on what we have done, how it could affect ourselves and others, and what we could have done better, it can be the basis for depressive thoughts.

Fortunately, I can reduce my self-loathing, morbid thoughts to ‘how can I get better?’ ideas that I had overlooked in the past.  The first being:  Respect.

Something that annoys me and, at times, upsets me is the lack of respect people show for one another.  I have seen doctors ignore care assistants in a hospital, middle management disgrace retail workers in front of customers and people disrespecting beliefs and life choices of people they have never got to know. 

As cliché as this sounds, we are one of seven (or eight- depending on when you read this) billion people who live on this planet.  We separate each other by the landmass we happen to live on, further separated by country, region, birth right, culture, race, faith, disability and so forth. 

It frustrated me that, despite us all being human beings, we see fit to treat people based on how we value others.  Because they follow a belief system different to our own, because they did not have a privileged upbringing, because they were born somewhere else.  Differences should be celebrated!

And for somebody who has depression, just having some respect could mean the difference between having a good day and an unbearable day.  But don’t be nice to people because of their mental wellness, do it because we are humans, do it to spread kindness.  You could make somebody feel better about themselves if you smile and share a friendly ‘hello’, or hold a door open for them (whether they are male or female).  A little effort will mean a lot to somebody else.  Even being mindful of what we’re saying could make a difference, keeping false information to oneself and not spreading hatred.

So, today, let’s vow to respect one another.