Beyond the Blues
Understanding depression is difficult; hear from Psyche's community of peers on their experiences with this mood disorder.
In The beginning
To tell you my story, we have to go back to 2006 where it all began. Me a naive and innocent 18 year old with no real idea of how the world really worked; Fed into the notion that I would meet my prince charming and we would live happily ever after. Not so much the Disney fairy tale but just a cultural belief that this was just how the world worked.
Ultra Violet VisionPublished 4 years ago in PsycheWhere There Is Pain There Is Overcoming and Hope
This is the story of my bout with severe depression and a longing to be free from it. I want to warn you first that the story is true and that it may contain triggering words. Please read at your own risk. This doesn't end in tragedy. There is a silver lining in all this.
Jade KellyPublished 4 years ago in PsycheHoney
I love the silence. The absence of all noise around me, all but maybe the occasional chirping of a bird, or the quiet shift of my feet on rock or grass as I sit in my own silent world. It is only in nature and nature alone, that I find what it is I am continuously searching for. It is only with the heavy thickness of a valley meadow, or the thin, whispering atmosphere of a rocky peak, or merely the dampness of a forest floor after a fresh rain as if the earth itself was filled like a sponge with the waters of the heavens, thus dulling out all the noises, all the distractions; the entire cacophony is still.
Joshua GradyPublished 4 years ago in PsycheRainy shadow
Depression keeps you up all night like insomnia, Having you look around your room thinking outrageous thoughts that you don’t want to think, Hoping and waiting for you not to make it through the night and waits to crush your soul into a million pieces and takes over your body like you are nothing… It waits to be successful so much and it isnt fair. You feel like the whole world is against you and judging you because you disconnect your self from the world and people make it seem like that is not okay. Mental health is important to everyone and it should be healthy, But for some reason, it never is, which is the problem a lot of us face, We let the bad things control our mind and body and let it haunt us forever and that cant happens no longer. I can’t tell anyone what to do or how they should do it, I can just tell someone how I think because at the end of the day I am not calling the shots, The person is… Everyone goes through things that they can’t control and a lot of people must learn that not everything is in control for them nor is being perfect, You can’t be a perfect person and you can’t try because there is always going to be something or someone standing into the way to break that down and you have to accept it. One of the lessons everyone needs to learn is to Face your problems, As much as a lot of people hate that idea, It is the truth, Face the problem coming your way because running from it only makes it worse for your self and others around you if you allow it. I might be younger then most people but I understand exactly how most people feel. You have to learn to remove the toxic things in life especially for your mental state before it becomes permanent because it can if you let it take over. Don’t keep going through the same lessons over and over again, Do right the second you get another chance because the more you keep going through it the harder it becomes. Learn to believe in your self and learn to cherish the things that come your way no matter how big or small it is, Be grateful for it because it can be a blessing waiting to be fulfilled. Whenever you feel down, do things that make you happy because it can help calm you down and make you free. You don’t always need someone to be around to make you happy, Don’t depend on ANYONE for your happiness unless you have found your own and that takes time too. Don’t rush to be happy, Don’t rush to succeed, or rush to fulfill your dream. You have all the time in the world, so use it and use it Wisley, and don’t waste it. When things don’t go your way, try not to be mad, take that and learn from it because it’s not going to always be about you and you’re not going to always win battles, Learn from your mistakes, don’t relive them. Don’t push the ones who care about you because you are afraid, Learn to slowly let them in and trust them to a certain distance. Don’t hurt others for your benefit and don’t get revenge to feel good on your self because karma is going to come when it’s ready for the ones that have done you wrong. Fulfill your dreams and goals and do not let anything get in the way
Arinicole SimsPublished 4 years ago in PsycheI wake up everyday.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who believed in love. As a little girl, she dreamed of the man who would one day love her, and the children they would have, the beautiful wedding and the house that they would build with their own two hands.
Hope MartinPublished 4 years ago in PsycheThe Night She Tried
Two summers ago I came home from my first year at college. I rode the train from Chicago to New Orleans with my mother, while my father took the interstate with all of my belongings. The day we left, there was a palpable tension between my parents, mostly from my father. I thought that once I got back home and settled in, we would all be alright.
D. E. RemingtonPublished 4 years ago in PsycheHow It Feels To Attend University When You Have Depression
I've had depression since I was 16. I wasn't formally diagnosed with it until I was 19. But when I described the symptoms, which had been so painfully consistent for so painfully long, I rolled back the years in my head and realised just how long it had been. Three years. I hadn't just been sad. I'd actually been depressed. This year, I have seen my mental health spiral massively for reasons I'm not sure I understand, still, this far along. And I've started to genuinely realise how hard I've found it to attend university. Sometimes I become numb to these things. I forget my struggles because it seems people don't want me to have them. I forget my feelings because they so often don't seem to matter. But now I'm alone, it seems I can muse on them more intensely. So, a typical Uni day from January until term finished looked like this.
Remy DhamiPublished 4 years ago in PsycheInside Oneself
I’ve been locked up in my room for a week now. It’s mostly by choice ( if having crippling depressing is a choice). I haven’t showered since the last time I went outside, and I haven’t been eating either. I think about my life and everything I haven’t done. I think about my family. I think about my friends. I think about everything that ever brought me joy and all I can feel is apathy. You’re pathetic. I know, but I need to keep trying, right? My head hurts and all I want to do is cry and sleep. Sleep and cry; look at the sky from my window, it doesn’t call anymore. It doesn’t bring any hope or joy or happiness. What are you doing? I ask myself that question every day, wondering if I’ll ever find my purpose for being. I walk back to my bed. I stare at the stairs that lead up to it for what feels like an eternity. Instead, I sit down on the hard, cold floor.
Jay CorderoPublished 4 years ago in PsycheHow to be happy while fighting with depression.
Being happy when you have depression is definitely not the easiest thing in the world. For instance yesterday I was happy all day. My husband and I rearranged our room together yesterday. That doesn’t sound fun at all and honestly rearranging a bedroom is not fun at all. Normally rearranging a room is stressful, but I was happy and having fun and we kept picking on each other and laughing. Today I feel like being happy takes work and that if one little thing goes wrong then my entire day is just ruined.
Destiny WooldridgePublished 4 years ago in PsycheLow Energy Days
Today I woke up to what I call a 'low energy day'. I decided years ago that I would use this term anytime I am feeling low and I am in fear that my depression is resurfacing. After unnecessary panicking, sometimes it turns out that it is just a day or two of feeling disconnected and unmotivated. Rarely is it the start of a major depressive episode. In cognitive behavioral therapy, we learn that our word choices are critically important and can impact how we feel. A ‘depressed’ day feels hopeless but a ‘low energy’ day is something I feel like I can manage through with the hopes of a brighter tomorrow.
Susan ShierPublished 4 years ago in PsycheUnderstanding Depression
I have no idea what depression is and how it looks like. I thought you could either be sad and happy but have no amount of sadness that can destroy a human life. I came to know this only when I went to the Western world and having two past relationships in which they both have depression. I’ve seen all sentiments on Facebook and how important to address a problem that’s eating away the minds of affected people. This type of mental illness is dangerous and unpredictable. How can we solve a problem that is spread out and no objective kind of healing that can swiftly eradicate its symptoms? I have been interested in this subject because I have encountered it and experienced it with people that were once involved in my life. I guess it is just right to understand what it is and how we can prevent this from happening or how to alleviate the problem if it’s happening to your loved ones.
Tiger Oliver BuddPublished 4 years ago in PsycheManaging Depression & Anxiety through the Pandemic
It’s a beautiful June morning in the spring of 2020. A year none of us living will ever forget. A year that will be written about in history books for future generations. Whether we are 90 years old or merely a child, this year will be personally life changing. There is A LOT going on. The Novotel Corona virus combined with the global protests to fight for equality have created a new world that we all now live in. What we know and how we live our lives has been turned upside down and inside out. Nothing is the same. In terms of employment, which is so critical to living a comfortable life, some of us are fortunate enough to be able to work from home. Some of us have found ourselves unemployed and some of us are essential workers who are both physically and mentally exhausted. We now are afraid about our futures and in some cases, people are afraid about where their next meal will come from, how they will feed their children and how they will ever recover from this dark place. But wait…
Susan ShierPublished 4 years ago in Psyche