Beyond the Blues
Understanding depression is difficult; hear from Psyche's community of peers on their experiences with this mood disorder.
The Night She Tried
Two summers ago I came home from my first year at college. I rode the train from Chicago to New Orleans with my mother, while my father took the interstate with all of my belongings. The day we left, there was a palpable tension between my parents, mostly from my father. I thought that once I got back home and settled in, we would all be alright.
By D. E. Remington6 years ago in Psyche
How It Feels To Attend University When You Have Depression
I've had depression since I was 16. I wasn't formally diagnosed with it until I was 19. But when I described the symptoms, which had been so painfully consistent for so painfully long, I rolled back the years in my head and realised just how long it had been. Three years. I hadn't just been sad. I'd actually been depressed. This year, I have seen my mental health spiral massively for reasons I'm not sure I understand, still, this far along. And I've started to genuinely realise how hard I've found it to attend university. Sometimes I become numb to these things. I forget my struggles because it seems people don't want me to have them. I forget my feelings because they so often don't seem to matter. But now I'm alone, it seems I can muse on them more intensely. So, a typical Uni day from January until term finished looked like this.
By Remy Dhami6 years ago in Psyche
Inside Oneself
I’ve been locked up in my room for a week now. It’s mostly by choice ( if having crippling depressing is a choice). I haven’t showered since the last time I went outside, and I haven’t been eating either. I think about my life and everything I haven’t done. I think about my family. I think about my friends. I think about everything that ever brought me joy and all I can feel is apathy. You’re pathetic. I know, but I need to keep trying, right? My head hurts and all I want to do is cry and sleep. Sleep and cry; look at the sky from my window, it doesn’t call anymore. It doesn’t bring any hope or joy or happiness. What are you doing? I ask myself that question every day, wondering if I’ll ever find my purpose for being. I walk back to my bed. I stare at the stairs that lead up to it for what feels like an eternity. Instead, I sit down on the hard, cold floor.
By Jay Cordero6 years ago in Psyche
How to be happy while fighting with depression.
Being happy when you have depression is definitely not the easiest thing in the world. For instance yesterday I was happy all day. My husband and I rearranged our room together yesterday. That doesn’t sound fun at all and honestly rearranging a bedroom is not fun at all. Normally rearranging a room is stressful, but I was happy and having fun and we kept picking on each other and laughing. Today I feel like being happy takes work and that if one little thing goes wrong then my entire day is just ruined.
By Destiny Wooldridge6 years ago in Psyche
Low Energy Days
Today I woke up to what I call a 'low energy day'. I decided years ago that I would use this term anytime I am feeling low and I am in fear that my depression is resurfacing. After unnecessary panicking, sometimes it turns out that it is just a day or two of feeling disconnected and unmotivated. Rarely is it the start of a major depressive episode. In cognitive behavioral therapy, we learn that our word choices are critically important and can impact how we feel. A ‘depressed’ day feels hopeless but a ‘low energy’ day is something I feel like I can manage through with the hopes of a brighter tomorrow.
By Susan Shier6 years ago in Psyche
Understanding Depression
I have no idea what depression is and how it looks like. I thought you could either be sad and happy but have no amount of sadness that can destroy a human life. I came to know this only when I went to the Western world and having two past relationships in which they both have depression. I’ve seen all sentiments on Facebook and how important to address a problem that’s eating away the minds of affected people. This type of mental illness is dangerous and unpredictable. How can we solve a problem that is spread out and no objective kind of healing that can swiftly eradicate its symptoms? I have been interested in this subject because I have encountered it and experienced it with people that were once involved in my life. I guess it is just right to understand what it is and how we can prevent this from happening or how to alleviate the problem if it’s happening to your loved ones.
By Tiger Oliver Budd6 years ago in Psyche
Managing Depression & Anxiety through the Pandemic
It’s a beautiful June morning in the spring of 2020. A year none of us living will ever forget. A year that will be written about in history books for future generations. Whether we are 90 years old or merely a child, this year will be personally life changing. There is A LOT going on. The Novotel Corona virus combined with the global protests to fight for equality have created a new world that we all now live in. What we know and how we live our lives has been turned upside down and inside out. Nothing is the same. In terms of employment, which is so critical to living a comfortable life, some of us are fortunate enough to be able to work from home. Some of us have found ourselves unemployed and some of us are essential workers who are both physically and mentally exhausted. We now are afraid about our futures and in some cases, people are afraid about where their next meal will come from, how they will feed their children and how they will ever recover from this dark place. But wait…
By Susan Shier6 years ago in Psyche
Top 10 Ways How to Overcome Depression.
1. Turn On Your Music how to overcome depression Overcome Depression It's almost impossible to seek out someone who doesn't feel a robust connection to music. Even if you cannot carry a tune or play an instrument, you'll probably reel off an inventory of songs that evoke happy memories and lift your spirits. Surgeons have long played their favorite music to alleviate stress within the OR, and increasing music to patients has been linked to improved surgical outcomes. In the past few decades, music therapy has played an increasing role altogether facets of healing.
By Ayush Goyal6 years ago in Psyche
Supplements for Depression that Work
Some people claim that vitamins and minerals can cure serious mental illness. That's not what I'm talking about here. While in general, there's not a ton of research funding for supplements and herbal products, there are a number of supplements that do have some research evidence to support their effectiveness in depression.
By Ashley L. Peterson6 years ago in Psyche
Will is a Thread
My will isn't strong. It isn't powerful. It's just always there. My will is a thread. Barely keeping me alive. But that's all that's needed. There's no celebration when you beat depression. There's no medal. No reward. You just go back to living. All you get from fighting depression is pain and scars. There isn't a silver lining. You don't come out stronger. You come out different. Broken, damaged, weakened. You might heal. You might not. No one cares except, sometimes, those close to you. There's no fame or glory for winning. You just get to live. But that doesn't change the fact that willpower isn't a cable. It's a thread. Unbreakable. Invincible thread.
By Krysta Minor6 years ago in Psyche
When depression isn’t depression
I have a real issue with depression being termed a mental illness… wait, let me finish… because sometimes depression isn’t depression. Sometimes it’s a normal and natural state of being and by calling this depression we are labelling a whole group of people as mentally ill when in fact they’re perfectly well.
By Skye Bothma6 years ago in Psyche
