9/5/2020
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like most people think depression looks like someone who looks sad all the time, someone who is constantly crying, someone who won’t look you in the eyes, or someone who isolates themselves.
I can tell you that for me, depression looks like a girl who does her best to smile around others so that she doesn’t lead on that anything is wrong. Depression looks like a girl who does her best to make everyone around her laugh because she knows how agonizingly painful it is to hurt so badly that she’s dying on the inside. Depression looks like a girl who loves her children so much that she shelters them from her own fears in the outside world because she doesn’t want anything bad to happen to them. It also looks like the girl who constantly posts funny content on social media every day so that people think she’s okay and that someone on this earth knows that she exists.
Depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, and paranoia all look different in everyone. Since they are also all diseases I struggle with, they can make that person appear different each time based on what demon they’re fighting that day.
Some days I want to close myself away from the world and hide in the covering of my home so that others don’t see the ugliness of mental health diseases. Other days I am the life of the party, the center of attention, and the funny person in the room. Both days can be equally as draining and depressing for me. The biggest differentiation between the “bad” days and the “good” days is my mindset. If my mind is happy, my body and emotions are allowed to be happy. I don’t have to pretend. I can relish the moment and experience it for the true happiness that it is.
Other days, I fake a smile and give compliments to others while my mind craves the same in return.
Depression looks different in every person—and often looks different every time they experience it. Depression doesn’t have to just be the sad, gloomy person hiding under the blankets of their bed. Although most of the time that can be a very accurate depiction, depression can also hide behind smiles. It can hide behind laughs. It can hide behind awards and achievements. It can hide behind someone striving to be the best version of themselves that they can be.
Since it has the cunning ability to hide behind “good” areas of our lives, my hope is that we are all aware of the fact that at any point in time, people around us can be struggling. Whether you know it or not, I just pray that we are kind to one another and approach situations with an understanding heart. We all struggle. Whether it’s depression or not, being kind and being a listening ear for others can always be beneficial to those around us.
Spread kindness and love whenever you can. The world needs more of it!