THE CHEMOTHERAPY OF CANCEROUS DEPRESSION

-By Adeleke John Akin' "Colossus"

We have all probably had a friend, sister, brother or loved one who went through depression or better still, we have once been caught in the claws of depression; one way to communicate this is to say "Life happened". However, that is not the focus. Like the popular analogy about falling and rising back, depression is a fallen state from which many don't rise, instead they fall out of life; death, suicide... I mean!

So, you will agree with me that we need to also put depression in a depressed state. We need to curb its claw and volunteering stares at us saying “I am that tool", but I am sure your mind is most likely filled with the "How". Let me answer "Why" because "he who knows why will always be ahead of he who knows how". Why is volunteering a tool for curbing depression?

From personal experience and statistical evidence, most cases of depression have a higher causal percentage from disappointment, whether through heartbreak, loss of property, unmet goals or expectation and many more disappointing examples. One linking factor for all these is the perception of the person in question about his or herself. What follows the disappointment is often a feeling of being useless or being hopeless. This is where volunteering comes in.

You probably know different definitions of volunteering but in my words, I choose to see it as "making yourself available to a platform that builds a sense of usefulness or resourcefulness while developing or building capacity". Simply put productive service through useful availability. We can thus say volunteering is one of those tools that help in filling the void in many disappointing or ailing hearts.

As a matter of emphasis, volunteering sees to the creation of a cause thereby helping such individual channel their disappointment or anger in a positive way such that, rather than sulk in their supposed misery, they can actually be in control of their fate while helping other persons in same predicament or having tendencies to be. It cannot be overemphasized that "service to humanity is the best work of life"

By now, I am sure the question of "How" is already evident through the obvious fact that volunteering is more than a panacea but much more capable in curbing depression. So when next you see someone who is depressed and you want to help, volunteering is the chemotherapy to their cancer.