Playing Chess to Checkmate Depression

I was a depressed dude. Depression would creep into my veins as water fills a hole. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to snap out of it. It was my psyche that had been made weak by the world of whys and why-nots; this-should-be-done and this-should-not-be-done; always swirling through my mind.
I was having intense brain fogs. Frustrations. Sorta blackouts. Burnouts from having to obsess about the causes and consequences of blackouts and frustrations. And so on and so forth. A completely nasty viscous circle I was caught up in.
Then? Chess came with a helping hand. I stepped into its world of logic and reasoning. With time it alleviated my depression and whatever mind-numbing causes I was suffering from. I will try to explain.

Initial stage:
Playing chess made me realise how working my brain was. Moving a pawn would give me creeps about it being murdered by the pawn of the opponent. Whenever I moved a bishop, and in a split second when I incurred the loss of it, it discouraged and encouraged me both at the same time. Encouraging me to want to avenge my loss. Result? Depression in the trash can for the moment!

Stage second:
Moving my pawn as and when and where I wished appeared to be no big deal. I could murder the pawn of my opponent easily. My thoughts were clear enough. My mind was working. I would trap the bishop of the opponent in such a way that he would give in and leave the game. Result? Giving me a sense of worth. Eating away at my depression.

Final stage:
Giving my opponent a checkmate in not more than ten steps became easy for me. I would move my fingers here and there swiftly. My opponent would take it as a challenge whenever its king (or rook) was about to give in. Result? Giving me a sense of a person who can challenge others, who’s not clumsy and weak in the least. And who’s now performing the funeral of whatever remnants of depression still dwelt in him.

Conclusion:
From making my mind as sharp as a razor blade to bringing an end to this beast called depression, chess succeeded at doing all that.

Giving it a try?

The writer enjoys seclusion and surfs the web. Always. [email protected]