You arrive at a friends house and the excitement of being there has you feeling accepted and ready for the night. Everyone greets each other smiling and enthusiastic about you making it. But slowly everyone starts breaking into their own groups and you always find yourself sitting in the corner on your phone to make it seem like you are doing something. This undeniable lonely feeling is one that you cannot shake and you keep asking yourself why you even decided to come in the first place.
Depression, it can drain the life from you and the smile will slowly leave your face. It is an isolating thing that does not discriminate who it affects. You question every move that you make. You try and find a group to join in on but something just doesn't seem right. Even though you are physically standing in the circle, you can still feel a sense of exclusion. Is it you? Are people actually keeping you from joining the group? At this point, you don't really know what reality is and what is true or what is just this elaborate story you created in your head. Your mind always wonders where you never want it to and that is what gets you into trouble. But you cannot help it because that is what depression does to you.
You never mean to but you start to become isolated. You get asked if you want to go out and do something but the idea of being around people and having to interact with them seems like the worst idea possible. You politely decline the offer and say that you are busy. So week after week of this happening, your friends simply stop asking and the feeling of isolation grows a little bit more. Before you know it you don't really want to do anything and it is such a sinking feeling. You ask yourself how it got to be like this.
Don't ignore these people, ever. Don't be afraid to ask what is going on and if they ever need to talk, you will be there for them. Seeing friends turn away from them is the worst feeling and they really don't want to fight it because they don't understand them. If you see someone not looking like they are having fun are seem like they aren't getting that involve, simply ask if they want to join. It only takes one little question to help that person from spiraling into that awful feeling of isolation.
Depression does not define a person. It does not make them anything less than human. Just don't tell them to get over it or that they are faking it. How could you possibly know what is going on with a person internally, unless you yourself have experienced it first hand.
These people don't have to feel alone in a crowded room. You could be the one that changes it.
