Depression isn’t always obvious. Depression isn’t always dark days in bed, the curtains closed, the tears running down your face, the desire to just disappear stronger than the desire for anything else. Sometimes depression is waking up, eating breakfast, getting dressed, brushing your teeth, and going to work. Sometimes depression is riding the train, reading a book, singing along to the radio as you drive to work, to school. Sometimes depression is laughing along with your friends, and smiling at strangers on the street. Sometimes depression is sighing softly as you remind yourself to go to the gym that day. Sometimes depression is coming home, showering, cooking yourself a healthy dinner and watching a few episodes of your new favourite show on Netflix. That is the reality of depression, it’s getting up and never giving up. It’s still finding the ability to smile, even if it doesn’t reach your eyes. It’s simply carrying on. And people take this, take your smiles and your presence as you being ‘ok’, but you’re not always, not really. Depression is hard and it is heavy and it is a big storm cloud hanging over your head, and it's like you’re waiting for the heavens to open. Sometimes, those heavens will open overhead at the most unlikely of times; perhaps you’ll be sitting in a coffee shop, maybe you’ll be drinking cocktails with friends, and all of a sudden it’ll hit. The thunder will roar and the lightning bolts through your brain and the rain pours down on you and you sink, you sink again and the darkness surrounds you and you suddenly don’t want to anymore. You just don’t want to. But you have to. You have to. So, this is depression. This is it I’m afraid. It’s these never ending bouts, and yes sometimes you will feel ok, sometimes you will feel happy and the burden will feel lighter, but sometimes it will almost become too heavy for you to carry. And when those dark days come, my darling, please take care of yourself. Depression is an illness and you’re entitled to treat it. Take some time off, rest up, feel better, and please don’t feel guilty about it. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and a mental illness is just as real as a physical one. Remember that. And remember to hold on. I know depression is hard, I know it’s lonely and I know it’s upsetting. I know you spend nights and days alone in your room crying because the joy has gone. The joy in everything has gone, but hold on. Hold on. It will probably be the hardest thing you’ve ever done and it’ll seem like letting go would be a thousand times easier, and maybe it would be, but holding on is a thousand times more worth it, because when you hold on you live, and living is the only magic we have in this world. The days will be dark and long sometimes, and depression will be unforgiving, but there will be lighter days. You will learn to cope and you will learn to love life again, I promise.
Depression will try to steal everything good from you. Don’t let it. (via poemsandmusings)