Depression is real. It lives where you cannot see it. Depression is there.
No one cares until something really dramatic happens. Society cares about depression when a celebrity commits suicide. People around us care about depression when they lose a loved one. When else does depression matter?
Depression is thinking something is going to go wrong before it even begins. Depression is thinking someone is going to leave you, even when you have done nothing wrong. Depression is wondering if you are overthinking. Depression is wanting to go to sleep because it's your escape from your mind. Depression is wondering if your friends truly even like you. Depression is wanting to go to activities, but literally struggling to be around people and smile. Society thinks people who have depression just hide behind closed doors and have social anxiety. That is not true at all.
Depression is hidden within people. Depression is something that people can hide behind their smile, they can carry it with them without a single person knowing it's there. That's what is so scary about depression. Depression can hide in the back of your mind and can be a demon that knocks on your heart and head at the best and worst times.
Depression is like a switch. One day you'll be perfectly fine, laughing, eating and hanging out with friends then this switch just goes off. Something is wrong, what is it? Why am I sad? Why do I feel like this? Why do I feel like my world is falling apart? To me depression is wanting to desperately enjoy something because you know you should be, but you literally can't do it.
So often people with depression hear, "Just let it go, just move on." How annoying is that? How annoying is it to know that you just need to brush everything under the rug, to just simply get over it. People may think that telling someone these things helps them, but how does telling someone to get over the demons in their head really helping them? Helping them means being a friend, even when they're pushing you away. If you love someone with depression remind them they are loved, all of the time. Remind people with depression that they are worthy, they mean something to you-to someone.
Regardless of what you think, depression isn't a cry for attention, it's a demon that lives within. Depression is that demon crying at you and reminding you of all your flaws, how bad people are and how easily they can leave. Depression can make you feel like you are replaceable and you are so annoying. Depression can literally consume you and make you feel like your drowning in your own mind.
I hope the next time your friend wants to stay in their room for days because of a headache, the next time your boyfriend/girlfriend cuts down to one meal a day, your mom sleeps all day, your friend makes a joke like "you'd be fine without me," that you stop them. I hope you are the person who cares about depression before something dramatic happens.
