Akhuetie Israel

· 27 Mar 2022

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🚩 The New Depression

Everyone else's life appears to be perfect, but yours has a blemish...

Dear Friend,

What you’re about to read is a short story that demonstrates what the above topic is about. Take a deep breath, sit down, and enjoy.


It's been a long day at work. You packed your bags, tidied up the office, and put every file in place. Slowly and tired, you took the staircase and made your way down to the car park, which was on the 5th floor below the office. Hop into your car and drive off.

Getting to your 2-bedroom flat apartment, you packed the car in the garage, and then made your way to the living room.

You turned on the light, and you said to yourself, "meh, I'm so tired." Instantly, your brain reminded you of a time like this, when you were so tired and bored, of how you spent the whole evening binging The Chronicles of Narnia season 4 on Netflix.

You felt so good. Oh, the adrenaline rush and goosebumps made you feel alive again. But it was all a faux feeling, and after a sec of the movie's ending, the old feeling came back; you felt like shit and nagged about how you'd spent 4 hours on Netflix. Heaven! 6 hours on Netflix! Still, the circle repeats itself day in and day out.

Ah, you recall. You told yourself that today would be different.

You took a bath, went to the kitchen, and discovered some leftover beans and bread from this morning's breakfast when you received a notification. Surprisingly, you took the phone that was on the table and clicked the Facebook icon.

It was an old high school friend who posted a picture of himself and his hot girlfriend reclining on a Mercedes-Benz 360, the one you've always wanted to own in the distant future. That one you're always bringing up with your friends.

Everyone else's life appears to be perfect, but yours has a blemish; that one dirt. If only my life could be like this, like that guy on social media who posts well-curated, perfect parts of his life that you aren't aware of. You beg and pray for help. What a shame.

The Great Depression... Always looking for ways to entertain yourself, just recline and muse on your TV set with that incredible pool of comedy skits on your phone.

Yet, every day you complain and talk nonsense about your job, about how everything in your life appears to be imperfect, about how your life would be perfect if you could just win the lottery or buy that latest smart house you saw on a late-night commercial.

You feel empty and crave that very video your friend posted on Instagram. Everyone else is living the life but you, always feeling left out, yet every free moment you get, you spend scrolling down the endless streams of videos on Facebook.

No glimpse of hope. All you do every day is repeat that circle and hope that something magical will happen one day, but you always crave more entertainment to fill that void and stir up that feel-good syndrome.

You need to get yourself together!

You're feeling empty and longing for that very video your friend posted on Instagram. Everyone else is having a good time, but you're always feeling left out, despite the fact that you spend every free moment scrolling through endless streams of videos on Facebook.

There is no glimmer of hope. All you do every day is go around in circles, hoping that something magical will happen one day, but you always crave more entertainment to fill that void and instil that feel-good factor.

You must pull yourself together.

Social media is a fantastic tool, but if you're not deliberate about your online presence, you're wasting valuable time. Get your mind working and learn to control the social media beast instead of allowing it to control you!

It's like going to the store to get something. Along the way, you see a lot of products that look appealing, but you know you can't afford to buy them all. You already have an idea of what you want.

So you just go to the store and choose what you want. This is what I meant when I said you should be deliberate about your online presence.

You are not obliged to respond to everyone on WhatsApp. Oh, I'll miss out if I don't go online today. Oh, my friend just posted something.

I need to give him a thumbs up. Yen, Yen, Yen! So you keep whining and comparing your life.

Deeper and deeper, you lose interest in the real world, you isolate yourself, and then those old habits creep back in like bed bugs, which can multiply in a day and fill every area of your room. A myth.

Everyone has a life, a unique destiny, and a unique role to play in life.

God's works are without blemish or spot. Regardless of your current circumstances, you've been given a fantastic life, and it's up to you to make the most of it.

Every man has his own set of timings and seasons. A rose may appear dull and rough as it grows, but a lily will bloom within a month of planting, but when the rose's season arrives, it outshines the latter by far.

So try your hardest to live each and every moment of your life with a purpose. You have something that could solve someone's problem, and as it happens, social media can be used to share that solution with the rest of the world.

Most people experience adversity. Everyone has different battles they face on a daily basis, but you covet what they post on social media, thinking and trying to downplay your life by putting it on a scale!

Oh, he has this. I don't. He just got it. I don't. He was given this. I don't, but the funny thing is that you only see what they have and fail to see what they do and how they do it.

If you see someone walking the path you've always wanted to walk, instead of envying their accomplishments, be inspired by them and try to see what they're doing to learn and grow.

It's one thing to be envious of someone else, but you have to get out of that mindset and stop comparing yourself. Don't be depressed by them; instead, be strengthened by them.

Stay tuned as I share more contents like this.

Until next time.