Thought we could share what depression feels like for each of us. It is sometimes nice to know your not alone.
Depression for me is this feeling of sadness and hopeless like I will never get better. I feel like I am alone in feeling this way and it is hard for people to understand because the things I used to enjoy don’t feel the same. Ugh... has anyone experienced full recovery? If so, what got you there?
I wouldn't describe my depression as sadness necessarily. Yes I cry but rarely am I sad. For me it is a combination of feeling worthless, misunderstood, lonely, angry, insignificant. Having brain fog and limited functionality to do everyday mundane tasks. It's being defeatist and giving up on what you once enjoyed in life. All very negative I know but to me depression is negative.
I know I will never get better (so well enough to stop taking medication 💊). Medication and education (by me on my illness) makes life manageable but I want more than that.
It will be interesting to read others response
My depression makes my memory awful
I definitely understand that feeling of sadness and hopelessness. I tend to feel very unhappy with myself and I feel like I don’t enjoy my life. I want to get to a point where I can really feel and say I enjoy myself and my life. It takes work and it isn’t easy to do but we are capable of getting there. I used to be overwhelmed by the idea that I have to take things one day at a time and I would think “when is this ever going to end”. Thinking about needing to manage this for the rest of my life is overwhelming but maybe seeing it through the lens of taking it one day at a time can help manage that belief that it’s never going to end when you can try to make that one day better for yourself. And over time those good days or better days will accumulate and start to change those negative days.
I would like to say there is a “full recovery” but we are humans and some days we will fall and get low and that’s okay. Process those feelings/thoughts/emotions and when your ready to move on do so. You are not alone. Self care and healing is the journey I’m on towards moving away from the state of depression I get into. It’s easier said Than done. But the easiest thing to remind myself when I’m feeling depressed is “do the opposite” of what I’m thinking or wanting to do. It forces you out of that negative state. Some food for thought. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Thank you. I needed this. It’s hard doing the opposite. Sometimes it doesn’t make me feel better ... I just wanna lay in bed all day. I hope I can make full recovery from this. I am heartbroken
Pulls me into myself
BOB
Endless norm.of being alone trying to.keep. going
Find a friend as most people takr that for granted
Not have my camp.found
How to find power internet
Be resourceful.
Make two cents go
Etc
Not let the critics win
Reinventing yurself
How to get wanted needed
How to live without a counselor
Losses people u loved but had to give up
Getting attached to peoplr but
One way always
Hopeless, lonely, don't enjoy things anymore, anxiety, very low self-esteem, hard time functioning
just lonely, endlessly lonely. And wanting to cry all the time. Wish to sleep and never wake up again.
Perfect description. I am sorry you experience this too.
I don’t even know how not-depressed and how not-anxious life feels like
Depression feels like you would rather die than feel like this for one minute more
I have zero motivation. Just lay in bed. Sometimes turn my phone off. Don’t want to talk to anybody. Cry. I’m numb
Same here
Depression feels like an endless plain, stretching off into the distance. Everything is grey, ground, sky. One grey dead tree. Nothing changes. Forever.
I haven't experienced full recovery and I probably won't -- I have dysthymia (with GAD and double depression), which is a chronic, tough nut to crack, BUT...with the help of medication and coping skills, the bad feelings are not constant, it has been over 25 years (I told you it was chronic!) since I seriously considered suicide, and I understand the irrational feeling of hopelessness. I still have days where despite my knowledge through experience that the bad days don't last, where it feels like I have felt sick, stale, and hopeless for eternities past, and that it will go on forever from here.
But cranking up the coping skills of forcing myself to remember good times and good things (which puts me in touch with my Maker who is the Author of all good things) and reminding myself that this bad time will go away like all the others takes away a lot of the anticipatory, or what I call BWI (but-what-if), anxiety, which helps me to feel a lot better right away.
I have also found that just changing my posture and facial expression makes a big difference. If my face is getting screwed up and my shoulders scrunched up from anxiety, I find that if I force my face and shoulders to relax, it's very hard to still feel anxious.
When I have it badly it feels as if there's no hope
Through most of my life depression has felt like 'laziness'. I felt like I just didn't want to do things. I didn't want to walk up the stairs. I didn't want to eat. I didn't want to put that dish in the dish washer. Nor the next one. Nor the next. Just a constant nagging in my head with everything I do saying 'I don't want to do this' or 'that sounds like so much work'. Always too tired to work so hard. Too tired to shower. Too tired to watch TV. Too tired to go to class. Just. Tired.
I never had sadness, hopelessness, or constant feelings of worthlessness or shame. Just. Tired. When I would get myself to do something it was about 60:40 I would continue to feel like I didn't want to or have the energy to do anything, or I would start to get into what I was doing and it would make me feel a little better. It always started with the same laziness, tho.
But this time is different. This time I'm very sad, and many things around me will remind me of why I am sad - because I feel hopeless, like I will never achieve my goals, like life will only be getting worse from here forward. I will have moments of feeling like I've been kicked in the gut and think 'if nothing changes I'll be suicidal in less than 10 years'. Seeing other people achieve the same goals I have used to make me feel better, happy for them. Now it just makes me sad and panicky, a nasty voice in my head telling me I'm never going to have that. When I try to think about my future I can only see one path, a path that I do not want, that will eventually leave me alone with no support and no means of supporting myself, one that inevitably leads to me being suicidal. I am a huge fan of the holidays, but I have no holiday spirit this year, I feel no joy, things that used to make me happy make me feel nothing now. Empty. I still feel lazy, like everything is a chore that I don't want to do, but now there's no chance I'll feel better if I do something, the voice just never stops. I don't want to do that, I don't want to do this, I don't want to be doing this, I just don't care, it doesn't matter. The closest I get to a break is feeling numb, feeling nothing, not caring.
Also, I'm showing signs of food addiction now. I only want to eat food that is high in fat, sugar, or salt. When I think about eating other foods, even those that are my favorite dishes, I stop feeling hungry. I don't want them. Luckily, I'm still able to eat other foods, but I only *want* junk food and I can't get the motivation to cook for myself or for others. I know this is partially my depression making me 'lazy' and seeking the ease and convenience of 'open package, eat food', but it must also partially be my depression seeking the slight rush that these foods can give. I've never had a perfect diet, and it has always been worse when I'm depressed, but this is the first time I've found myself craving junk and literally turned off by anything else. Usually I just don't want to cook. Hummus with baby carrots and mini cucumbers is usually my go to meal when I'm depressed, I find it filling and I like the taste but I don't have to do any work for it. Right now I'm literally living off chips and snack cakes and whatever someone else will bring me. I'm not even always eating what others provide. Sometimes I just keep eating the junk food.
I feel like...
What does it mean to feel like you are enough?
Trying to overcome depression
I feel like I should open up to you guys.
What does happiness feel like
