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Beyond the Blues

Understanding depression is difficult; hear from Psyche's community of peers on their experiences with this mood disorder.

Depressive Episode Relief . Top Story - February 2018.
Sometimes when you're depressed, you just need to take a moment to look at the positives. I know it can definitely feel like there are no positive aspects at this exact moment in time, so just think about your good days. Maybe there has been a day when you just laid in bed with your cat/dog and simply watched movies. Or maybe there's been a time when you got a good grade on something you worked really hard on and felt proud of yourself. At this moment, you might be feeling really sad. You also might be feeling a lot of mixed emotions, including, but not limited to: sadness, fear, and anger. You might also not know what you are feeling currently, which is the first step of recovering from this depressive episode: understanding what you're feeling and the thoughts/events that may have contributed to your current mental state. I know that doing so may result in more feelings or fears, as I suffer from depression as well, but feelings are not something that just go away. They are sometimes difficult to cope with, I'll admit, but once you learn to be able to live happy and have a friend named Feelings, you will come to the realization that feelings, though they can be very difficult to handle at times, are something that is a part of what makes you human and not a robot. But I do agree, sometimes feelings can be really annoying, since everyone would rather be feeling content than feeling depressed.
By Leah 8 years ago in Psyche
Blue Heart
There is a girl that everyone knows has a beautiful grin. She is smiling whenever you see her, laughing at your jokes, listening to your stories, and giving you great advice. She is insanely childish but has an extremely refreshing humor and whenever you need someone to cry on, she is always willing to give you her shoulder. She is honest, genuine, empathetic, ambitious, putting forth effort for you. She always carries herself with class. She is a kind of a girl that will make you want to be the best version of yourself; without changing who you really are. She will always strive for greatness and therefore inspire others to strive for it as well. She is a strong woman.
By NAkie S.8 years ago in Psyche
Depression
What can I say? All you feel is emptiness. You want to feel, you try so hard to feel something other than emptiness, but you can’t. You try to do things that used to make you happy, but all you feel is nothing. Are you a person or just a walking corpse? Neither, you don’t know what you are, you don’t even know who you are. On the outside, you act and look how you think you should just so people consider you to be normal. You don’t want to speak to anyone about your problems. You just want to be alone. But loneliness makes you feel worse. But you also feel more comfortable alone. Why are we programmed to be social creatures? Technology. You don’t want to use your phone. You go days on end with your phone uncharged. You lose friends because of it. But then again, you lose friends just like a tree loses leaves during autumn. Why's that? You do things you think will make others happy, you go to university and get your degree, you get a job, you get married, you start a family, but what if that doesn’t make you happy? What then? You become a social outcast, the black sheep, selfish, idiotic, a low life. You become unimportant.
By Marisa Ferreira8 years ago in Psyche
When Life Gives You Lemons
Nothing you will read in these next few minutes is going to affect you. The pen might have been mightier than the sword in 1066, but not now. We're complex, and odd by nature, and not one thing someone finds useful helps everyone. But a few words in this short post may stir a feeling inside yourself, compelling you to make changes. Society as a place is dynamic, unique, and ever-changing. As humans we are a mere freckle that only just dips into the surface of everything, we are an insignificant freak of nature, an evolved species that developed a sentience: only a few people in the world know this. Most of you walk through life with your eyes closed, while others open, and those people see it all. Even fewer are bang on in between, some scientists, philosophers, have an even balance of the two. It's not bad seeing what’s only on the surface; go below that and a lot of ugly things persist down there. If it fulfills you to live that way, then enjoy it. We all expire at some point, we all have a shelf life, so do what you love. The only problem with that is that a lot of people can’t digest that state of mind. And these people all share a state of mind. That thing is depression.
By Chloe Jade8 years ago in Psyche
Describing My Depression
It feels as if there's a blanket wrapped around my body, and I'm underwater, the heavy blanket making it more and more difficult to swim up to the surface. I can feel the cool air on my finger tips but I just can't kick myself up. I'm in a panic. My chest hurts; it feels like my lungs are caving in. I need air. Every time I get close it feels like I'm dragged back 50 feet lower, the burning feeling in my chest only making my heart beat faster the lower I sink. It feels like drums from a marching band beating my chest. I can feel it in my arms, fingers, legs, toes, and my head. It feels like my heart is a race car, trying to win a race that I didn't sign up for.
By Brianna Bailey8 years ago in Psyche
I Think I'll Stay in Bed Today
All the time I still wish I was little again. So unaware of the hurting world, and so focused on making sure I was good for my mom and dad. And then my mom and dad got separated, and everything changed. I felt this change in me and the change never went away. It's still here.
By Nicole8 years ago in Psyche
Feeling Melancholy
It's Tuesday. Work has pretty much ran. I didn't have time to get my morning coffee but I survived the morning. Between talking with patients and asking questions, I laughed for most of the day. Lunch, a Philly Cheesesteak, and a bottle of water. In between work and the laughs, a good hardy lunch is what I needed to get me through the second part of the day. 3:55 PM arrives and I'm leaving the office content. I hit my quota for the day and now it's time to relax.
By teisha leshea8 years ago in Psyche
A Depressed Person's Morning Routine
My alarm wakes me at 7:30 AM from an unrestful sleep. It has been like all the other times I have slept in the past couple of months. It doesn’t seem to matter how early I go to bed, I wake up and feel like an enormous hammer has been dropped onto my body, pinning me down and unable to get up.
By Graham Ronald8 years ago in Psyche
Depression
Depression is a serious thing. Nowadays people have become aware of it but don’t quite fully grasp what it is or what the experience is with it. People have become so comfortable with it that it’s unintentionally used as jokes or is used in a way to make oneself feel comfortable in a situation. “Ugh, kill me already. I have a finals this week,” or you get people who mimic depressed people and then laugh about it. People need to realize that depression isn’t something to joke about nor make fun of. Let me take you into a mind of a depressed human being.
By Kaitlin Slater8 years ago in Psyche
I Am Not Ashamed
I am a lot of things. I am a writer. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am a friend. A best friend. An artist. A dreamer. A painter. A poet. An auntie. A cousin. A granddaughter. A human.
By Bliss 8 years ago in Psyche
Fearing Death...
Have you ever feared death, but wanted it at the same time? At one point in my life, I didn’t exactly fear the idea of death. I was so depressed that the thought of dying wasn’t a big fear of mine at all. I constantly have the fear of someone I love, or am close to, dying suddenly. This thought for anyone is not pleasant. I get more anxiety over the thoughts of someone else dying rather than myself. Recently, I found out one of my old friends had gotten shot to death. The only thing I could feel coursing through my body was not that of sadness, but rather how getting shot to death would feel. I know, who would think this, right? The things I felt during this time seemed very unnatural. I imagined various scenarios of me dying, including that of getting shot. It made me want to experience what he felt. Granted, the result of the experience would be me lying in a coffin, six feet under the ground, or being the ashes in an urn placed courteously on a mantle.
By Rhani D.8 years ago in Psyche
Depression. Top Story - February 2018.
Why do I not want to get up? Why do I feel like a failure? Is this how society sees me, or is this how I see myself? Can I no longer enjoy the things that I used to? There is an epidemic, not just in America, but in the world. Depression affects millions of people. Some people do not even realize they have it, or choose to ignore it. Some of the questions above are symptoms of depression. There is also loneliness, fatigue, loss of appetite, among other symptoms.
By James Howell8 years ago in Psyche