Depression Is Not Poetic, It’s Painful

Depression is not poetic. It’s not romantic. It’s not attention seeking.

Our lives are not episodes of Skins or excerpts from The Bell Jar. We hide our feelings because people misunderstand. They call us dramatic or paradoxical because we try so hard to be okay, to do good in life, but little do they know that every minute of that is one of absolute suffering.

Suffering does not necessarily have to be something physical, because the most brutal kind of suffering is that of the mind. We exhaust our minds by overthinking minor details, and when someone asks us, “What’s wrong?” we can’t help but hide our feelings and fake a smile, because face it, they’ll never understand.

Depression is real, and it is deceiving. Sometimes it’s dressed up in smiles and laughter. The people who are in most pain may be the best at hiding it — they will seem like they are the happiest, when in reality they are broken shells of beings in disguise.

We have to start learning to look beyond the outer shell and rather look deep into it. Superficiality has destroyed meaning altogether in this world. We need to reconnect with our loved ones, make relationships that truly matter, and build a foundation of trust, love, and safety between each other. We need to communicate effectively, be raw and open about our feelings and emotions, and destroy that idea that vulnerability is a bad thing.

Look out for your loved ones, notice their changed behavior, tap into their energy, ask them questions, connect.

And the next time you’re feeling down, call your closest friend or family member and share your feelings over a cup of coffee. Ditch the cellphones and social media. Don’t rely on texting and phone calls. Our true feelings will never be exposed across technology. There’s nothing like a real life connection, where emotions and feelings are reciprocated, energy is felt, and love is present.

Depression is real. Talk it out. Show people your love. Do not be ashamed of vulnerability. The most courageous acts in the world are exposing your raw emotions and expressing your thoughts freely. Sadness isn’t a crime — it’s okay not to be okay, but what’s not okay is not doing anything about it.

Talk it out.