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Blogs > Ont_Bulldog9 > Who Let This Dog Out?

You Can't Judge a Book by it's Cover  

Ont_Bulldog9 51M
5 posts
9/22/2015 2:37 pm
You Can't Judge a Book by it's Cover

I've got many things running around my head. So many ideas running around my head I want to blog about, but I can only write about one thing at a time. So let's go with invisible ailments.

You never know what another person is going through. Some illnesses are not apparent to the naked eye.
For example, I have Type 2 diabetes. Just by looking at me, one cannot tell I suffer from this ailment. I have diminished feeling in my toes. My once 30/20 vision is now below 20/20 and I'm in need of glasses due to damage caused by too much sugar in my system. I'm a sugar/carboholic. I love sweets and when I'm stressed, I eat. And usually not healthy foods. Not a good thing when you are diabetic.

This leads me to another ailment near and dear to my heart. Depression. I have had bouts of depression. It's a terrible thing to go through. Again, no one can really tell that something is wrong with you. They assume you should be able to just snap out of it and just flip a switch and be happy. Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. I usually try to fake it when I'm around others. It's when I'm alone that it becomes apparent. I need something to occupy my mind to stay away from those dark places.

What I find helps me with both is reading a book and exercise. Things that occupy my mind so I don't dwell on things that set me off in my spiral.
Right now I'm in a good place. At peace with my life for the most part. Good family. enjoy my work most of the time. Never have enough money and time to truly enjoy life, but enough that life is pretty darn good.

What I'm trying to get at is that we can;t look at someone and know what they are going through. All people have something going on in their life. Some people can deal with those things, while others can't. I try to use my own experience to empathize with others when something doesn't see quite right with someone. Previous to me having these ailments, I would judge people and think things about them that probably weren't true. Like a person was just being lazy and not doing their job, but they were suffering from depression. Or their arthritis was so bad that day they couldn't do any physical work with feeling their body was on fire.

My own illness, have in their own way, not weakened me, but have made me a better person. More aware. More understanding. Less judgemental. A better human being.

Do any of you have an ailment/illness that isn't apparent to the naked eye?
How do you cope with it?
Has it changed you at all?

spankandsquirt20 45F
10597 posts
12/14/2015 6:37 am

 I've been through severe bouts of depression in my life and yes, it has changed me a lot. I believe it has taught me more empathy, as well as made me a better person in a way. (maybe too caring about others sometimes)


Ont_Bulldog9 replies on 1/6/2016 8:25 pm:
It's the medical and mental issues that are not readily apparent to others that are the hardest to deal with. Most people just think a depressed person is in a funk and should just snap out of it. You can't just snap out of depression. It takes time and understanding. Usually lots of talking and for some, good medication.
And there's no such thing as too caring. Better to care too much than too little.
Thank you for responding. Sorry it took so long to respond. Computer was down and just got a new one. Hard to type a proper response from an iPhone.

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