Your Stories
Gabe shares his story and how he was able to combat depression, and establish a clearer sense of purpose and community moving forward.
"What got me through the tunnel of my darkest times was establishing a clearer sense of purpose..."
About Gabe:
Hello! My name is Gabe, I’m the Founder of Gaber Inc. – a company focused on helping future generations shape their purpose, mission and vision. My goal is to be the “Tony Robbins for youth,” travelling globally to deliver meaningful content to inspire those around me to manifest the best possible version of themselves. While working on the business, I’m currently a Recreation Customer Service Attendant with the City of Richmond.
WHAT WAS THE MAJOR TURNING POINT IN YOUR RECOVERY FROM DEPRESSION?
I don’t think the battle with depression is ever over, I’m always, always continuing to mitigate my reactivity to my triggers. Personally, what got me through the tunnel of my darkest times was establishing a clearer sense of purpose (ie: getting started on Gaber Inc.) and surrounding myself with energies and personalities that also seek to leave a massively positive impact on the world (ie: an Entrepreneurial-based accountability group my Life Coach, Jen, set up).
That, as well as having a strong basis of eating habits and physical exercise, allowed me to be in a robust place currently.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT REALLY HELPED?
- The two points above – altering my tribe and habit formulation.
Also… - Shifting from the “ego” (thinking how the world sees me) to the “eco” (thinking about how I can help the world).
- Finding the right fit when it came to talk therapy: I’ve seen three different counselors/psychologists since Jan. 2018, and have experimented with seven over the course of my mental health odyssey.
- Barre Class @ Pure Barre Studio: sometimes the issues can be attributed to physical ailments, as much as psychological ones. Since becoming a regular at Barre classes, my circulation has improved greatly due to improved postural alignment. As a result enhancing the sharpness of my cognition. I would alternatively label this solution – “finding a hobby that you love, that also benefits you.”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER GUYS FIGHTING DEPRESSION?
As cliché as it may sound, please don’t give up on yourself. As much like everything else in this life (joy, sadness), depression is an impermanent state, if you attack it with a variety of solutions and stick with it. Also, you have to be willing to make change in your life in order to combat your struggle – nothing changes, if you’re not willing to.
Start asking yourself what’s the one thing I could do today that moves the needle of my health in the right direction? Upon accomplishing that (as micro as that may be ie. I was able to get out of bed and prepare my own meal), use the momentum of the first win, and parlay it into bigger and bigger wins.
– Gabe Lee, Founder of Gaber Inc, based out of Richmond, BC, Canada. 