Depression; Do Not Suffer In Silence.

I am not a sufferer of depression by any means, I am naturally a very jolly, upbeat person. However I have experienced depression in my life, really badly, four times now. I have recently just come out of the other side of a really bad spell of depression, luckily this time it only lasted a few days. So with all of my last depression experiences in my mind, I want to offer you all the best advice which I can offer if you are currently suffering, because depression is such an awful place to be. So if you are currently suffering I really feel for you and I send you all my love.

Firstly, do not suffer on your own, reach out to family, friends, tell them how you are feeling. Tell them to check up on you. Ask for help, there is no shame in asking for help. Secondly, if your depression has been going on for a good few days then the best thing in the world which you can do is go to see your doctor, as sometimes you can not overcome depression on your own. The doctor will have so much help and advice for you.

Depression can make you think the most awful thoughts, often suicidal thoughts. I know I felt that way with my recent depression, I thought to myself that I would rather be dead than feel like this, because if my days are going to be feeling like this, then frankly I don't want to be feeling this way. Sounds dramatic, I know, but that's how it made me feel. If you get that low remember how many people love you, how many people care about you. This world NEEDS you. We all want you here on this planet. Suicide is NEVER the answer. Remember when you are at your lowest that that feeling will pass.

Talk to other people about your experiences with depression, you will be amazed at how many people have had the same experiences. Talk to each other about how you have coped, give each other advice. Speaking about depression really helps as you will see that you are not alone, as with depression it can make you feel like you are alone, you are the only person on the planet to be feeling this way. But you are not, sadly, many, many people deal with it on a daily basis.

Also with depression you can have it for no reason whatsoever. You can have it without any major traumatic event happening in your life. That happened to me with one of my previous experiences with depression. The depression lasted for five months, until I finally went to see my doctor. The lesson I learnt was I should have gone to see my doctor sooner. So if after a few days your mood does not improve - go to see your doctor.

Depression really is such an awful thing, as you genuinely can't snap yourself out of it. Even the most simple thing to do, like getting out of bed to go brush your teeth is a huge effort. Everything feels bleak and meaningless. It is such an agonising state of mind to be in. With my recent spell of depression I started the day feeling fine, then my mood started to drop, those familiar feelings started to appear and I thought here we go again. Luckily it only lasted for a few days. But I would have known if my mood didn't change, due to previous experiences I would have gone to see my doctor.

So, yes, if you are feeling depressed right now, for Heaven sake, speak out. Call a friend, or tell your neighbour. Do not suffer alone in silence, that's the worst thing which you can do. There is so much help out there. You will feel happy again, I can promise you that.