Depression, Balance And Life Lessons

— It has practically become trendy for some people, particularly celebrities, to reveal their trials and tribulations of battling depression. It is almost as if you have not lived unless you can express that you "know" depression. People are starting to wear it like a badge of courage. Although this coming out has helped to de- stigmatize the illness, it also has had a spin-off effect of reducing the perceived seriousness of it. To the uninformed, watching Jim Carey reveal his bout with depression on 60 Minutes made it difficult to appreciate how debilitating it is. The seemingly apparent contradiction of a zany comedian who starred in the movie Dumb and Dumber and yet expressed his battles with depression did not add up. To add to the recent celebrity revelations, people often now use the word depression loosely and in a generic context, to denote a temporary lapse of enjoyment, as in, "I know how you feel; I have felt depressed myself." Depression and feeling depressed are not even in the same ballpark. The differentiation is critical; the seriousness and impact of the illness must not be lost in the zest for society to understand and accept the dis- ease. It is a delicate balance, indeed. – writes Bruce

Valeria Teles interviews Bruce R. Ross — the author of "Breaking Free of Depression's Grip: A Powerful Success Story."

Bruce R. Ross has lived with depression and anxiety for his adult life; more than forty-five years. Despite this disease 24/7, Bruce overcame its debilitating effects and has led a successful family life, career, and personal life.

After 34 years working in the credit union sector, Bruce retired as senior vice president, finance, from a $1 billion financial institution. He is a lecturer at fanshawe college, has a bachelor of commerce degree, chartered professional accountant (CPA) certification, is certified financial planner (CFP) designation, and he has a master's of business administration (MBA) degree. Bruce finished five marathons after the age of 35 and completed three triathlons, including a half-ironman after the age of 40.

He travelled to all fifty US states and all ten Canadian provinces. Bruce was born and raised in Nova Scotia and moved to Ontario in 1987. He currently resides in Meaford with his wife, Cheryl, and daughter, Hannah.

To learn more about Bruce R. Ross and his work, please visit: brucerross.ca

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.