Depression

It’s all just too much.

You struggle just waking up each morning, feeling sad and empty, avoiding life.

You’re surrounded by people, yet still feel alone.

As much as you try to push yourself forward and start feeling “normal” again, the overwhelming emotions, downward spirals, and crushing weight of pessimism hold your head under water.

Even the little things require too much effort.

You’re depressed, and you’re worried you will always feel this way.

Depression is deceptive.

The very things that depression tells you to do – be alone, don’t leave the house, don’t depend on anyone else because no one really cares, it’s not worth even trying – are the very things that keep it in control.

So, what is depression?

We know depression through metaphors.

Goya was able to convey it in an image, Emily Dickinson in her language. In a brilliant TED Talk, Andrew Solomon says that the opposite of depression is not happiness – it’s vitality.

And that’s what you’re lacking when you feel depressed – the vitality to wake up every day and step out of the numbness.

It’s as if you find yourself losing interest in almost everything, but you don’t know why.

And on top of it all, you feel ashamed because you know it’s ridiculous.

You know it’s ridiculous while you’re experiencing it, but you can’t figure out any way around it.

And if that’s not enough, the world seems abrasive – as if someone’s turned up the volume and taken off your sunglasses.

But there’s hope.

Imagine climbing out of the cavern of depression and finding that light in yourself that never goes out.

You’ll finally stop running away – from yourself, your dreams, hopes, frustrations, and fears.

And this is a good thing.

Once you choose hope, anything is possible.