WHAT DEPRESSION ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE
Mental Health Vibe
Depression manifests in different feelings such sadness, exhaustion, feeling worthless, loss of interest in usual activities that bring you joy, excessive sleeping or tiredness, having suicidal thoughts and even change in eating patterns, among others.
We have felt sadness from time to time at some point in our lives. For some people, this feeling goes away after a short while. However, for others, this feeling can be persistent and could include feelings of hopelessness, unhappiness, and emptiness that eventually becomes a regular part of their day.
Depression affects approximately 264 million people worldwide [1]. Adolescents aged 12-17 years old have the highest rate of major depressive episodes at 14.4%, followed by young adults aged 18-25 years at 13.8% [2]. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among 15-19 year olds [3].
What Does Depression Actually Feel Like?
- Depression feels like not wanting to die but not wanting to live either.
For some, being depressed can make them feel suicidal but also feeling guilty and not wanting to die but to live and have a good life, just like before they were depressed.
- Depression feels like making plans to do everything but being so exhausted you end up doing nothing.
People with depression are more often judged for being lazy and told to shrug that feeling as if it is that easy. Depression can make you feel one way in a minute to totally feeling indifferent in the next minute.
- Depression feels like not wanting to talk to anyone, but also feeling lonely.
Being depressed can make someone feel reeaally lonely. This happens because although they feel like talking to someone, they may feel like they may be stigmatized and judged and end up not sharing and avoiding social places. By doing this, they eventually end up feeling lonely.
- Depression feels like waking up in the morning and simply waiting for the night to come
People with depression look up to having a brand new day to smash their goals but when depression cripples in, they lack the confidence, drive and motivation and they then wait for the night to come so that the day can end. Night may make them look forward to the next day, with the hope that tomorrow will be a better day.
- Depression feels like knowing the things to do to feel better but being so consumed by depression you are unable to do anything else but survive.
Depression is so much more than just being sad all the time. Depression has the ability to rob people of the things they once loved to do. It makes people feel like nothing can bring them joy, even the things they once loved and enjoyed doing.
How Depression Feels Like According to People With Depression (or their loved ones)
We engaged with our Instagram family (https://www.instagram.com/mentalhealth_with_lyn/) and these are just a few of the responses we got:
“Feels like everything that is happening to you is a curse.”
“Feels like things are never getting better.”
“Feels like I am a failure.”
What You Can Do:
- Talk to someone about how you fell. This can be a trusted member of your family, friend, or colleague about how you feel. Do not keep to yourself.
- You can also join a support or a self-help group for people with lived experience of mental health issues. In such support groups, people with similar problems help each other to feel better.
- Talk to a professional. This can be a doctor, mental health professional such as a therapist, or a counsellor.
- If you think you are in immediate danger of harming yourself, contact the emergency services or a crisis line, or go there directly.
- If you are religious, you can also talk to someone trusted from your church.
If in Kenya and you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the Niskize’s suicide prevention helpline at 0900 620 800.
Should you have any additions to this article, please leave a comment.
Lots of Love,
Marylyn Ochillo
Sources
- World Health Organization. Depression. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression . Accessed on November 21, 2021.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association, 2018. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/
- World Health Organization. Suicide. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide . Accessed on November 21, 2021.
