Not Doing That Great

"I am extremely thin of skin at the moment" is officially entering my vocabulary now

You're allowed to cry, John. You're setting an example for the rest of us that it's part of being human.

I’ve survived over 70 years with depression. Two things have helped me. After many bouts, I realized the problem was not a product of my surroundings, but a result of my bad chemicals. If I have a cold, I do not define myself as a cold, but as a person you happens to have a cold. If I am suffering depression, I do not define myself as that depression, but rather as having that finite condition I will recover from just like a cold. The second is, it’s okay to ask for a "poor baby” sometimes. It just feels so good to have someone commiserate with me, no judgment, just loving acceptance and a desire I feel better.

When I first saw Vlogbrothers, I was a college student. Now I'm a law professor. I also struggle with mental illness. Thank you for being an older figure I could observe and resonate with. I (parasocially, respectfully, distantly) love you, John. Bless you.

Your successes do not invalidate struggles. You are allowed to cry.

AH. WHY IS HENRY SO TALL. IM IN DENIAL ABOUT ALL OF THIS.

I have a very long commute and I have to take the train to work. I’d had a shitty day at work and I was stood in the passage between carriages because I wasn’t in a place to be able to deal with people or being seen. A passing train guard came along, saw my face - then he stopped and asked if I was ok. This is a Northern European country - no one talks to anyone else unless they absolutely have to. He really seemed to mean it. I know he was only doing his job, to look out for people who could be planning something terrible for themselves or others, but no-one had asked me if I was ok in such a long time, that I almost started bawling right then and there. I still think about the guy from time to time. He’ll never know how much that meant to me, and how much just that simple question helped me.

"all my nerve endings are outside my body" reminds me of a phrase that has quietly fallen out of modern lexicon: "I'm feeling frayed". I think it's a normal human experience to hold ourselves up and then feel a visceral sense of being overwhelmed when we start to wind down. It's something I learned from your books, and I've always felt that BECAUSE it is common is WHY it's important. To feel frayed is part of being human, and the rest of us as humans should love and understand and support a person who is in that moment. Rest well, know that you are loved, thank you for all that you do <3

My dad passed away yesterday so I’m also Not Doing That Great. You said once something along the lines of “the problem with going on holiday is that I take myself with me”. I’m feeling that now. I feel like I’d be better at this if I wasn’t bringing myself and my mental health problems with me in this. I’m trying to tell the people around me that they’re doing a good job, but it’s hard feeling completely powerless as those you love suffer the most. I’m grateful for this video today, I’m grateful for a video today. It’s something beautifully normal. My dad was a great man. I’ll probably delete this soon but I’m feeling a great urge at the moment to tell people. He was and is the best.

it’s nice when people acknowledge each other as human

Dear John Just saw the movie with my daughter who has OCD. She cried! She felt so seen, it was tough for her to see OCD “from the outside” and she felt so hard with Aza - because she KNOWS how she feels (the bandaid spot on). But it was a good experience and we loved it. My daughter is doing exposure therapy and fighting her OCD every day and we believe she will learn to control her OCD, but it is a fight that requires great strength, willpower and courage. Thank you for this! With gratitude Maj from Denmark

Someone empathizing and saying, "this must be quite difficult for you, I'm sorry" and responding by saying "thank you," and bursting into tears was my experience multiple times this past week.

John, I hadn’t even considered how much talking about your mental health in public would be a drain on you. I have OCD (I know that in large part BECAUSE you were open in talking about it), and when I have to (well choose to) talk about it in events at work, it’s a drain on me. I am also EXTREMELY privileged, but to quote your brother, it still hurts when I stub my toe.

Big love to that reporter (I would’ve cried too, John)

For me, OCD has been one of the few illnesses where talking about it doesn’t always help me. So I really can’t imagine what it would be like having to do it constantly. We’re all proud of you and grateful for what you put out in the world, John, and your life being good doesn’t mean you stop being a human who is allowed to not feel great

I recall a neuropsychologist who said: happiness is a chemical state of the brain, which if anything, is only mildy and temporarily affected by external factors. I love our human nature trying to find logic in things, because we find it so often and learn from it. But there is no logic to our emotions, let alone thought spirals, anxieties etc. Being fortunate doesn't change it. If anything, from personal experience, being depressed just makes me feel even more awful BECAUSE I know I'm privileged. You're such a great advocate. Thanks! We need you, we love you and we're here for you.

“I, while trying to say ‘thank you,’ burst into tears” might be my favorite description of how weird it is to be a human among other humans

I fucking love this corner of the internet. People are allowed to feel their feelings.

Seeing John’s kids being so big really blew my mind. I was their age when I started watching vlog brothers and really feel like they helped raise me and help create my sense of empathy growing up and I don’t have words to express how grateful I am

Thank you, humans who teach me to keep my heart soft. ❤️