Depression is a very ugly and exhausting battle that most people try to ignore or paint as this beautiful little word call “sadness.” People think, “Oh let me give this little sad bird some attention and then they will feel better.” Others say, “Get over it! Life isn’t that bad.” No one ever listens to or pays attention to what the depressed person is saying or better yet what they aren’t saying. This is why depression is such an ugly battle.
The first image is what we all like to think depression looks like. To be honest some times it does look just like that. On the outside looking in though, you won’t really see the person suffering with depression looking like picture one, but they will describe feeling that way; alone, hopeless, and often times sad.
The second image is often how some people dealing with depression express themselves. Anger seems to be the only emotion that doesn’t suffocate them. It is the only raw emotion that makes them “feel” something or rather “feel alive.” So they lash out or they “snap at others” because it may seem like that is the only way to get someone to hear you. Think about it, most people do not want to be around people who are dealing with depression because they describe feeling drained, or frustrated because they can’t “fix” the person who is facing depression. Wouldn’t you lash out if no one really listened to you?
The last image although a bit comical is what I believe the true face of depression looks like. We all fear being labeled or shamed into believing something is wrong with us. So to avoid the dirty looks or the judgment, we put on a smile or we get one drawn on. On the inside however, we are empty, unmotivated, alone, hopeless, sad, angry, and detached from things that once made us feel happy or we derived pleasure from it. There are a lot of people walking around looking like the third image, but feeling like the first picture.
I want to encourage anyone that may have painted on a smile to seek help. Do not be ashamed to seek help. There is strength in getting help for depression. There is no shame. If you’re not feeling motivated to get help, call someone you can trust to help you. Talk to someone and don’t feel like you have to do it alone.
“The best way to eat the giant elephant in the room is one bite at a time.”-Someone important said this and they were right.
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I didn’t want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that’s really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you’re so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare.” ― Ned Vizzini, It’s Kind of a Funny Story
