Story Of Dwayne Johnson And His Rise To World Icon

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is known as one of Hollywood’s tough guys and top earners, but he recently shed light on his battle with depression.

1. Struggle of Rock’s Parents

Over the years as a teenager Johnson watched his parents struggle to afford the basics as they were evicted from their apartment and got their car repossessed, “we were living in an efficiency that cost 120 dollars a week. We come home and there’s a padlock on the door and an eviction notice. My mom just started crying and breaking down. Where are we going to live? What are we going to do?” His mother attempted suicide. He was 15 when he watched his mother walk into oncoming traffic, shortly after they were evicted from their apartment. But what’s crazy about that suicide attempt is that to this day she has no recollection of it whatsoever, probably best she doesn’t.

He said he was able to pull her from the highway but then sunk into several years of depression that were made more difficult by injuries that halted his football career and the breakup with his girlfriend. “I reached the point where I didn’t want to think or go anywhere. I was crying constantly, but he managed to pick himself back up so, how did his life change?

2. Inner Motivation Helped Him Through his Depression

Finding inner strength prevented him from becoming suicidal like his mother. He is now using their experiences to try and help others. “We both healed, but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention. When other people are in pain, we have to help them through it and remind them. They are not alone, one of the most important things that I know helped me with the multiple times that I had gone through. My episodes of depression were making sure I was talking to people.” According to Forbes, he is Hollywood's second-highest-paid actor earning over $65 million in 2017.

3. Dealing with Depression

“Depression never discriminates it took me a long time to realize it, but the key is to not be afraid to open up, especially as men tend to keep it in. I found that with depression, one of the most important things you could realize, is, that you’re, not alone you’re, not the first to go through it and you’re not going to be the last one to go through it, have faith that, on the other side of your pain is something good.

Dealing with depression requires action, but taking action when you’re depressed can be hard. Sometimes, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or spending time with friends can seem exhausting or impossible to put into action. So, the things that help us the most are the things that are the most difficult to do.

4. Look For Support From People or Friends

There is a big difference, however, between something difficult and something impossible. You may feel too exhausted to talk ashamed about your situation or guilty for neglecting certain relationships, but this is just the depression talking. Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for the person you talk to doesn’t have to be able to fix you.

They just need to be a good listener. Someone who listens compassionately without judging you be honest with yourself. If you try to deny the pain and put on a happy face, you’ll get to you often as depression. Instead of the knowledge that you’re missing something and sharing your feelings with a trusted friend or family member, you can’t avoid the pain. But what makes the difference is what you do with those feelings.