No Shame

I’ve heard people say things like “Oh, she’s just depressed”.  Just?

Most people, unless they’ve been there, have no idea what depression is really all about.  Most people use the word Sad.

It’s not really sad.  But yeah, sometimes it is.  It’a hollow, hopeless, emptiness, that consumes you.  Your world is black and bleak.  Nothing matters.

You could be expecting your first grandchild, or your son’s dream of attending Yale just came true, it doesn’t matter.  You put on a brave face, smile and act the part, but inside, you are barely functioning.

This is depression.

I’ve had times when all I wanted to do is sleep.  Because when you sleep, the world goes away.  You don’t have to deal with… anything.  Even if all that means is making dinner, or taking a shower, or driving to the store; it’s all just too much.

What you are feeling inside is an incredible darkness.  A hopelessness and helplessness.  You also feel worthless, defeated, unworthy and shameful.  So you hide.  You hide your symptoms.

This is why Depression is such a serious thing.  It can be a deadly thing.  When Everything is too much to deal with, what’s the alternative?

If you know someone that sleeps too much or isolates themselves, please reach out to them.  If they have stopped their normal pursuits, the things that used to make them happy, pay attention!  Just knowing that there is someone who understands can be a great comfort.

If you have these types of feelings, talk to someone.  Anyone.  Talk to your doctor or a friend or a counselor.  There is help out there.  There is No Shame in what you are feeling.

There is such a stigma attached to depression.  People have swept it under the rug or they dismiss it as something trivial.  It’s Not trivial folks!

Think about Robin Williams, Kurt Cobain, Mindy McCready, the list is a long one.

It’s real folks.  Don’t be afraid to start a conversation about it.

Copyright (C) 2023 Penny Wilson

Please visit my other blog, Penny Wilson Writes for more posts from me. 

10 thoughts on “No Shame”

  3. Dear Penny, thank you very much for raising awareness of this common mental health condition – depression. As you know, I’ve been in that place up until quite recently. I recognise all my symptoms here; sleeping in, not eating (or eating overeating), lethargy, tiredness and withdrawing from my usual activities and friends. At times, I felt ashamed of feeling the way I did, but now, I can see that I was very depressed. I took your advice and spoke to my doctor at the time. I am now on antidepressants, and along with a change in my circumstances, I mostly feel a lot better.

    I’m sure there will be many people who will be reading this website and who will benefit from your words. As you say, we need to look out for these signs in others and offer support and understanding. Thanks again for bringing this important subject to the attention of everyone. Xx 💓

    Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s