Feeling self-worth and becoming part of your community
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Wed, 08/22/2018 - 12:27pm
Upon retiring from the Army in 2016, I quickly felt as though I had no direction or purpose anymore. Although I only served for 7 years personally, and always felt supported by others, something unexplainable was missing inside of me. It felt as though my purpose adapted from helping people and upholding values, to simply working for money to support my family.
The value that I felt from completing my daily “work” had disappeared, and I spent my evenings feeling little accomplishment. Although I felt alone with these thoughts, I quickly found many other veterans in Carson City that shared these feelings with me. Essentially, we were all trying to chase the sense of accomplishment and relativity that we once had had.
Nobody should ever feel as though they are alone. There are many stressful areas of life that can easily bring one down, however with the support of other people have a better ability of finding clarity. I have found that joining local groups and organizations for volunteer service of all kinds has been more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.
From feeding the homeless to cleaning up our hiking trails, there are hundreds of ways one can involve themselves in community development. By doing this, I have only lived here for 2 years but already feel so part of this community that I now call it home. For anyone that feels as though they are alone or singled out, I challenge you to reach out and find a cause that you can connect with. Not only is this an opportunity to become part of a great community, but it also will provide you with a support network that is crucial to those struggling with any mental health issues.
Beginning in 2012 I struggled greatly with depression and nightmares. Although I had the support of my family, I still always felt alone and separated from others. With the support of others, I attempted to better myself by seeking a counselor, getting medicine, or opening up. For years I struggled to accept that I was getting worse and simply did a great job of hiding behind a mask.
Once I began volunteering my time over my money, I realized that I began sharing things that I had never spoken of before. I credit being able to share with others to feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment that I found with volunteer work. The longer I volunteered, the better I felt, and the easier life became. I found that it was a challenge to even remain sad or lost when I was with the other volunteers, as we all came from different walks of life but were brought together by something more than ourselves.
I feel a sense of duty in sharing these thoughts, as I know there are always others struggling with something inside of them. I implore anything struggling with their thoughts to reach out and get help or seek the help through different means such as community involvement.
I would be more than happy to continue to share my story, talk with others, or even connect others to some of the groups that I am involved with. Carson City citizens have impressed me with being one unit, strong and connected with one another, and being proud of where they came from. Let’s continue this by ensuring we give back, we help those in need, and we never give up on ourselves.
Please feel free to contact me at: maxwell.macedo55@gmail.com
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