How going against your true self is causing burnout/depression

The best take on depression I've ever heard came from Jim Carrey citing spiritual teacher Jeff Foster's idea on how depression simply comes down to us needing 'deep rest' from the characters we're trying to play.

When we resist who we really are and instead opt for being who we think everyone else wants us to be, it puts a mental and physical strain on our mind, body, and souls until we can't resist anymore resulting in burning out. Think of it like a tug of war between who you really are and who you're trying to play. Once I realised this, I started to pull on the side of the rope that my true self was pulling on and noticed that I got fewer and fewer depressive episodes until the point where I couldn't tell you the last time I've had one.

The other thing that's helped tremendously is getting my thoughts out there.

I like to think of our thoughts like a glass of water that's constantly under a running tap. If you don't empty the water before the glass fills up, the water spills everywhere and makes a mess. In the same way that if we are not regularly getting our thoughts out there, they will eventually overflow and cause a mess aka burnout/depression. And unlike the glass of water under the running tap, we can't see when our thoughts are about to overflow which means burnout/depression can creep up on us unexpectedly and at the worst of times. This is also why it's paramount to be consistently getting your thoughts out of your head.

There are many ways to get your thoughts out there such as journaling, solo walks, or my preferred method of sitting in front of a mirror talking. You can even do a combination of all three.

When doing this, aim to say exactly what is on your mind, even if it's something you're embarrassed, ashamed, or in denial about. Because of this, I've found it essential to always follow 2 rules when self reflecting:

1. Never lie to yourself

2. Always address the elephant in the room first and foremost

You can lie to your friends, family, partners, etc., but you should never lie to yourself. Nothing good will ever come from it. Plus, I'm a strong believer in that it's impossible to lie to yourself as you have to know something to be true in order for you to be in denial about it in the first place.

Addressing the elephant in the room first is important as not doing so whilst addressing something else is like cleaning up the spilled cereal whilst your house is on fire. Until it's addressed, it will always be there, gnawing at you until you can't ignore it anymore, for which you will have no choice but to do what you should've done a long time ago: talk about it.

Now with all that said, I believe that depression is too complex to have a one size fits all solution, and that it's just as much a part of being human as the feeling of joy is considered to be and, therefore, can never be fully eradicated. However there are things we can do, such as the solutions described above, to significantly reduce the severity, duration, frequency, and effects of depression and burnout.