Chris' Story
Chris shares how committing to a personal promise became the catalyst that brought purpose to his life and kept him moving forward.
"I held onto that fear of admitting I had a problem for a long time. Letting that go was the start of real healing. It's okay to be afraid but you can't let it paralyze you."
About Chris:
I’m a writer of noir-drenched horror, blending cosmic dread with raw, emotional storytelling, and the creator of the Revenant series, an ongoing saga exploring broken heroes, eldritch forces, and the thin line between hope and madness. I hope to continue producing stories that uplift hope and encourage others to never give up.
WHAT WAS THE MAJOR TURNING POINT IN YOUR MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY?
The breaking point finally came when I was on unemployment, staring down a future that felt like smoke and shadows. Shortly after being placed on it, I was job searching and was hit by another driver, totaling my car, which was the second time within two years that someone had crashed into me, totaling my car.
Stuck at home and barely scraping by, I made myself a promise: publish one of my novels before I went back to work, or maybe never go back at all, in a very literal sense. That promise gave me purpose and drive, and for the first time in a long time, I chose to try harder. I finally opened up to my parents about how much worse my depression had become, and their support helped me realize I didn’t have to carry the weight alone.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT REALLY HELPED?
- Writing stories that matter: Pouring my depression into fiction gave it shape and made space for hope, love, and purpose on the page.
- Getting support from my family: Especially after I opened up. Their understanding gave me a foundation to start climbing back.
- Honoring a promise: Setting a goal, to publish one book before going back to work, kept me grounded when the darkness tried to pull me under.
- Accepting help: I’d been diagnosed with dysthymic depression at 19, but fear kept me from actually seeking help. I held onto that fear of admitting I had a problem for a long time. Letting that go was the start of real healing. It’s okay to be afraid but you can’t let it paralyze you.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER GUYS FIGHTING TO IMPROVE THEIR MENTAL HEALTH?
Don’t wait for the storm to pass and build something in the rain. Even if it’s small, even if it’s messy, create something that proves you’re still here. Ask for help. Speak the truth out loud. You’re not broken, you’re bruised, and you can turn pain into purpose. Keep your story going.
The Maw
The fridge is shut. You locked the door.
But something is slithering on the floor.
Its teeth are wide, it has no eyes,
It will eat your hopes with a side of fries.
It gulps your hurt, it chews your fear,
It swallows love and dreams and cheer.
It never sleeps, it never stops,
It devours the crumbs, it licks the drops.
It makes you smile, then takes your grin,
And pulls more lovely poison in.
For once it tastes your aching need,
It only wants one thing and that’s to feed.
The Maw comes from Chris’ new book, Whispers for Bedtime, a collection of stories dedicated to inspiring hope for “the men who wake up each day under the weight of invisible things. The boys who were told to ‘be strong’ but never shown how. The fathers, brothers, sons, and strangers who carry scars behind their smiles. And the women who stand beside them, who help them hold the line.”
Chris is donating $2 from every sale to HeadsUpGuys, to help us continue to inspire hope.
Chris’ new book Whispers for Bedtime is available on Amazon.
– Chris, aka Balsom, writer at NonEdibleProductions, Marblehead, Ohio, USA