May is Mental Health Month and so I thought it might be time for an awareness post.
Have you ever noticed that when a friend suddenly reappears after they have been depressed that they seem to have a lot to apologize for? They were distant, or didn’t reply to texts or were unavailable for getting together, or any number of other things personal to them?
We call this the Recovering From A Depressive Episode Apology Tour. (I promise, I did not make this up.) It’s when we are coming out of a depressive episode and we realize, with a lot of guilt and shame, that we have not been showing up for our loved ones in the way that we would have liked to.
We need to apologize for not replying to those texts, or not joining you for a girl’s night out, or for generally being distant, whiny, and/or self-indulgent.
I know for myself, coming out of an episode that has lasted for much of the winter, I feel the need to start my own apology tour. I think it’s important to apologize for my behaviour because while having mental illness is a reason for said behaviour, it is not an excuse. People are not obliged to put up with me just because I have Bipolar Disorder II, so when they do, I never want to take their affection for granted.
Kali J Desautels 
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