VO:

Hi, I'm Nick. I'm a firefighter and dog dad, and I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder two years ago.

VO:

Growing up for me was constant change. I spent the majority of my life overseas. To be immersed in different cultures, different ways of life, did wonders for my capacity to be able to empathize and talk and assimilate. It makes me a more compassionate firefighter. It also made it difficult to find my own personal identity.

VO:

Living with depression is, it's a weight. It's a heaviness you carry at all points of the day. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. It puts you in this tiny little box in the dark, and it tells you you can't escape this. This is this is all you're ever going to know.

VO:

My depression was incredibly isolating. You've got the disease telling you don't tell this to anybody. And then when you do tell it to people. People tell you, don't tell it to anybody else. I wanted it to be anything other than what it actually was. I was looking for any other answer other than the answer that was staring me directly in the face.

VO:

I went to some pretty dark places, so it wasn't until I was ready to give up that I was ready to get help. It was only a short time until I got diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

VO:

As far as treatment plans go, I'm still dialing it in. Medication for me has been important. In addition to medication, it's been sound bath. It's been acupuncture. It's been lifestyle changes in the form of diet, good sleep, hygiene, exercise, doing the little things that push myself out of my comfort zone to broaden my experiences.

VO:

I believe that depression really thrives in darkness and in isolation by shining a light on it and by talking about it, you rob it of its power.

VO:

Regardless of how dark it gets, there are other people out there that have felt the same as you and are in a different spot now. I've been to those same dark places. I have stared myself in the mirror and told myself that I had no value and didn't, and no business being here. I was wrong by virtue of being alive, by virtue of having a heartbeat. I have value, I have worth. I'm important.

VO:

For the future. I hope to continue doing the work. I hope to continue to be inspired and motivated, to continue to explore who I am as a person and continue to explore my journey.

VO:

My one piece of advice. I think it's a great quote is if you're going through hell, keep going. It's going to be tough but there's so much joy on the other side of that hardship. Keep doing the work.