Welcome to the first episode of 'Dancing with Depression,' in which I take you behind the scenes to explain how this podcast came to be.I am your host, Adam Turner.In this episode, I dive into the origins of the podcast name and what it symbolizes for me. I reflect on how my daily "dance" with depression once dominated my life, leaving me mentally exhausted by dinnertime.I'll share candidly about my initial misconceptions regarding the causes of depression and how I came to realize that I was only scratching the surface of this complex issue.Moreover, I discuss my heartfelt intention behind starting this podcast: to create a safe and supportive space where people can feel genuinely heard and understood.Lastly, I give special thanks and shout-outs to the individuals who inspired and guided me on this journey of podcast creation.Join me as we embark on this journey together, exploring the depths of depression and finding strength in sharing our stories.Stay tuned for more episodes of 'Dancing with Depression.'Dancing With Depression is part of QuietLoud Studios.A podcast network where reflection and voice come together.Learn more: https://quietloudstudios.com/Need assistance with your podcast? Connect with KazCM. They make content creation enjoyable and accessible.Learn more: https://kazcm.com/--More about this episode "Behind the Name: ‘Dancing with Depression’":In today’s episode I will shed some light on how this Podcast came to be, what Dancing With Depression means to me & How I was “introduced” to my Depression!The podcast was a combination of guilt, curiosity & technology. The guilt was my inability to stay connected with my parents. I noticed that I would go days – then weeks without talking to my parents. I often thought about calling them and even set alarms to remind myself, but the phone felt like a ton of bricks, and I would convince myself that I would call them tomorrow…then tomorrow came, same thing & on & on & on. I can recall conversations with a couple of close friends that shared they talk to their parents EVERYDAY, so I questioned myself as to why I didn’t call mine.I looked to my job, a marketing consultant, as to the reason why the phone felt so heavy, but quickly realized that was just an excuse. Sure, my day consists of making 50-70 phone calls, running 3-4 Zoom Meeting, not to mention prep work, follow up & paperwork…but everyone is doing that much work if not more in the course of their day…so I knew I had to look deeper.I determined that my depression was like a shadow – it was always by my side! So, I’m constantly addressing it to get through my day. I must remind myself before each phone call why I am doing this – to pay bills, I have to make things appear to be ok, when internally all I wanted to do was push MUTE, so I don’t have to hear all of the thoughts swirling around in my brain. I’ve known for years that sales wasn’t my calling – for starters my personality would be categorized as introverted but depending on the environment I can also be an extrovert – specifically my work environment…I didn’t pick sales; my Credit Card Balances did!!! (LOL) I was Dancing with Depression all day and was too tired to do anything else. We all know Dancing for 8-10 hours a day would make our legs feel like Jell-O…so does the mental aspect of trying to direct my depression where I needed it to go throughout the day. When my depression wanted to go left; I had to redirect that energy to the right…For instance - If I had a meeting, I had to be ON – that meant smiling (even when I was down), I had to be friendly (even when I wanted to be alone, I had to educate (even when well you get the point). At the end of the day, it all added up to being MENTALLY EXHAUSTED, which was negatively affecting all other aspects of my life! So, I became curious – what was fostering my depression. Growing up, I believed that depression was often linked to a traumatic childhood…like physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, neglect, parents with mental illness or addiction, severe childhood illnesses, domestic violence, bullying, or racism. These experiences can undoubtedly increase the likelihood of depression, but at the time I didn’t recall experiencing any of these traumas….So, I was left puzzled about the root cause of MY depression.Finally, I was looking for a way to connect – safely with others that were experiencing what I was experiencing. When I was first diagnosed with depression, I remember feeling lonely, as if I had to hide something from everyone. Only to later find out 5 of my close co-workers were taking Anxiety or Depression Medication – knowing I wasn’t “the only one” provided me the comfort I was seeking. Which got me thinking – Could others benefit from knowing they aren’t alone?I felt strongly the answer to that was YES, but I knew it had to be in a safe space. After giving it a little thought, I recalled a ...
