Chris' Story
Chris shares how a taking off a year to heal helped him to address depression, loneliness, and years of built-up trauma.
"Loneliness and built-up trauma forced me to pursue a year of healing."
About Chris:
I’m a professional lighting technician in film/television. I also wrote/directed/produced seven short films, and wrote more screenplays than I can easily remember.
I’ve actually spent years developing a dark comedy feature film project about a protagonist who feels trapped in his life, and is afraid to pursue the things he really wants.
WHAT WAS THE MAJOR TURNING POINT IN YOUR RECOVERY FROM DEPRESSION?
I suffered from a lot of trauma in both elementary school and secondary school, leading me to drop out of two university science programs. I eventually completed a one-year college program in the arts.
I moved out to the isolated city of St. John’s Newfoundland, trying to get involved in their local film industry.
Loneliness and built-up trauma forced me to pursue a year of healing, at all costs; I moved to Vancouver, and the healing started.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT REALLY HELPED?
- Taking a break from ambition, so I could focus on making friends, explore my interests, and seek out counselling.
- Getting away from people who put too much pressure on me to move forward in life, in ways they saw fit.
- Engaging in activities that sparked my curiosity, and not worrying too much as to whether it moved me forward in life or not.
- Re-evaluating the meaning of the concept of “responsibility”. Taking a few months away from work seems irresponsible, but the fact that it allowed me more time to heal, and write, proved to be a responsible act.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER GUYS FIGHTING DEPRESSION?
Nothing can come from nothing. There is always something causing us to feel the way we do. For me, it was being denied the chance to heal and explore life.
I still struggle from depression, and I don’t have all the answers, but that is also something to keep in mind, don’t beat yourself up for not knowing everything you think you should know.
– Chris Griffin, Angry Bear Film Production, Toronto, Ontario, Canada