Depression is something many people suffer from. If you don't have it, you may not understand a single thing about it. But, that is okay, you don't have to. Let's go into a few facts about depression. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. It makes a person sadder than they would normally feel. Sometimes, their depression just stays there. Other times, it comes and goes by a trigger. It doesn't matter what specific type of depression you have. All of it isn't something you want to deal with.
Depression can make the simplest things in life feel like such a burden, you don't want to do them. Getting dressed, eating food, taking a shower, brushing your hair, none of those things seem important when you are depressed. You shut the world out and go inside your own little space inside of your mind and cuddle into the darkness you have grown to know. Those dark emotions seem like your only comfort in that moment. They seem to wrap their arms around you and hold you tight. Your life doesn't have to be filled with bad moments for you to be depressed. Your life can be what seems like perfection to people around you. But, you could constantly want to cry. You could feel like life isn't worth living. You could be trying your hardest to make the people around you feel worthless.
Do you know what it's like to wake up and feel like you shouldn't have? Do you know what it's like to feel like a burden to everyone around you? If you don't, please do not tell people you know what they are going through. Don't tell someone to just get over what they are feeling.Telling them to take a pill and that it will get better isn't okay. We don't want to feel like a basket case. We don't want to be made to feel like we are sick. This isn't some joke to us. We don't enjoy waking up and dealing with these feelings. We don't want to hear that you think we need to get over it. Making us feel like we are sick by telling us to take medicine isn't something we will take lightly. Depression is a serious matter.
If you know someone who suffers from depression, offer them a shoulder to cry on. Tell them you will be their shoulder to cry on if they need it. Hug them tight and don't say a word. Lay down beside them and just hold them while they lay there quietly. Help them find an escape from the darkness that is surrounding them. Even a simple distraction can go a long way. Pick out a funny movie that you know would make them laugh. Buy a ton of junk food, get in some comfy pajamas, build a fort, and just laugh until the sun rises. Depression is something many people all around us suffer from. Don't try and make those people feel guilty because they deal with this. Instead, try and find a way to help them cope.
