People often think that it’s easy to spot someone with depression. They think that’s it’s just the saddest person in the room, someone who’s visibly upset. On the contrary, depression runs so much deeper than just sadness, and you’d never really know who was suffering.
This is an illness that completely takes over the life of the sufferer. It isn’t just a fleeting emotion that can be easily identified. Depression isn’t just about being sad – the reality is so much worse than that.
It’s Trying to Hold On
Depression is something that’s kept hidden inside. People with this illness put on a mask for the outside world, while inside of themselves they feel like they’re drowning. They try to keep fighting their internal battles without letting the people around them know what’s really going on.
“I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.”
– Robin Williams
Usually, the people who are suffering aren’t the saddest people. They’re the people trying to make everyone else happy. The tragic irony of this is that while they’re showing kindness to everyone else, they’re showing themselves so much hatred. Truly, they believe that everyone is worthy of love and compassion except for them.
It’s Looking in The Mirror and Not Recognizing Yourself
Having this monster in your life can force you to lose yourself. You’ll see pieces of who you were breaking apart and falling into nothingness, and there’s nothing that you can do to stop it. Eventually, you end up becoming a shell of the person you once were.
All the things that used to bring you joy have now just become a chore. Music has lost its beauty, art has lost it’s meaning, and even socializing with people you love has become painful. You remember a faint glimmer of who you used to be, but it no longer reflects the way that you feel.
It’s Pushing Everyone Away
Depression is loneliness. It’s feeling like there’s no one around who understands you or even cares about you. In a crowd full of people, you still feel isolated. What can you do when you feel like this? Do you go out into the world and try to make a human connection? Do you spend more time with other people?
Unfortunately, those aren’t the answers for people with depression. Their illness tells them that their only choice is to push everyone that they love away. Even though they already feel so alone, they don’t want to be a burden to anyone.
One after another, a person with this illness will see the people that they love leave. They know that it’s because of their own doing, but it still hurts them so much more than you could ever imagine. Although they want to be alone, to suffer in silence, a part of them still wants people around to care for them. Sadly, depression won’t let them have that.
It’s Losing Everything and Still Fighting
This is a condition that makes you feel small. It tells you that you’re weak and pathetic and convinces you that you can never accomplish anything in life. Somehow, people who are dealing with it still fight for as long as they can.
They keep pushing and pushing to get better, no matter how hard it is. Tragically, some of these people will fight until they just can’t anymore and will lose their lives to this illness. For those who are blessed enough to get better, they will be able to see that all their fighting was worth it.
Depression really isn’t what so many people think it is. It’s not feeling sad for a while or sitting alone and crying. In reality, it’s one of the hardest things that anyone could ever go through.
Do you know someone who suffers from depression? Share this article with them and let them know that you are there for them.
