Overcoming the Depression Dino [part 2]

New here? Click here for part 1 of the story.

You decide you’ve had enough! It’s time to banish the unyielding creature from your life, so that things could go back to how they once were.

A combination of new habits,

new habits

mental paradigms,

mental paradigms



support from close ones,

support from friends



a new environment,

new environment

and (if necessary), Professional Dino Doc intervention,

professional help

…will shrink your Dino into nothing more than a harmless plush toy.

14 shrinking dino

You will carry Dino with you in plush form–subdued and docile–for the rest of your life. This is the baggage you’ll have to deal with due to your experience.


Beware! Do not be deceived by plush Dino’s innocent form: he will watch you closely, sitting vigilantly on your window sill, waiting for the right moment to come back into your life. He knows just the right buttons to push to set you over the edge again.

15 always there

If he succeeds, like a dormant volcano waiting to erupt, plush Dino will burst into full sized Dino in no time and will quickly try to go back to his insidious ways. A ‘visit’ back into your life could be set off by poor/excessive sleep, bad weather, turbulent life events, or just plain old bad luck.

here's dino

…Not so fast! You’re ready and better prepared this time to neutralize him. You get a good whiff of his approaching scent and have recognized the sound of his footsteps. You quickly identify and capture Dino in the early stages of his attempt to dominate you, subduing him before he has a chance to get too comfortable and take over your life again.


Your experience has made you a more skilled Dino Tracker. Your start quickly identifying pesky Dinos in other peoples’ lives.  Some are oddly shaped, others more aggressive, and a few still emerging, barely perceptible to the naked eye. You sympathize with others that are struggling with their respective Dino, and understand what it’s like to have once been in their shoes.

16 other people also have a dino

Dino rates have been steadily growing over the last century, and it’s starting to affect people at increasingly younger ages.

pandemic dino

This is a shame, because there’s definitely a stigma associated with admitting you have a Dino in your life. You’re not really sure why; many overly invasive species have driven their owners to perish.

17 suicide

Sharing stories about our Dinos is the first essential step to softening their harsh grip over our lives. You hope that being more open about your former struggles with your Dino will inspire others to be more forthcoming about theirs.

18 talking about problems

 You embrace Dino as a fundamental part of who you are, learning to accept him as a formative part in shaping the person you are today. You’ve matured in your identity and have flourished with a charged vigour for life. You’ve grown tremendous empathy for those afflicted with their respective demon, and internalized powerful lessons that would have taken great measures to learn otherwise. Crawling out from darkness has given you renewed appreciation for the intoxicating perfume of light. Your experience was not in vain.

hug your dino

Bonus: click here to listen to me speak at length about depression on a Chinese podcast for English learners.