Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

Personify Your Depression: If my depression were a person... [fill in the blank]

wontwakewontsleep September 27th, 2017
.

Personify Your Depression: I learned about this coping technique today. Imagine that your depression is a person separate from you. The idea is that personifying our depression helps remind us that depression doesn't define who we are ourselves, and that invasive self-critical thoughts we experience often come from our depression and not our healthy minds. Some things to think about are: what kind of person would it be, what kind of hobbies would it have, what would it look like, what would its name be?

So, if your depression were a person, what kind of person would it be?

898
Donleocasmom88 January 22nd, 2020
.

If Depression had a name, it would be my name. My depression is an scary chaotic version of myself. My depression is the version of me that I hide from the world. My depression is every insecurity I've ever felt in my life. My depression is every bad thing that has ever happened to me. It's hard to give a name when I know that in the end it comes down to me

dworth257 January 22nd, 2020
.

people i once loved and trusted attacking my values and destroying anything i care about

dworth257 January 22nd, 2020
.

@dworth257 all of my worst nightmares coming true. being stalked.

SolaraMoonstone98 January 22nd, 2020
.

If my depression was a person it would a prisoner. Convicted and pushing away those who love me even though I need support and love.

Stressanddepress January 23rd, 2020
.

I think mine would be a a big grey cloud, which sounds very cartooney, but that's what I see when I think of it. It just sits there in my head, floating, catching all thoughts and happiness

wontwakewontsleep OP February 8th, 2020
.

@Stressanddepress - Sometimes cliche things are cliche for a reason - thanks for sharing this relatable image with us. It's very apt

Innocentkitten January 23rd, 2020
.

My depression as a person would be another version of me. She would constantly be in my ear telling me that I will never be good enough. She would point out how much of a burden and disappointment I am and how everyone would be better off if I just disappeared or just didn't exist to begin with. She'd tell me that I will always be alone and single because no one would ever want someone as fat, disgusting, and needy, someone who still lives at home, doesn't drive, or have a job... She'd tell me how disgusting my body is because of my scars and sores from breaking out so much... She'd tell me that I should just give up because my life and I are worthless, and that there's no point in dealing with it anymore... Then, when she gets done saying all that, sometimes, she'd jump on my back, making it hard for me to move around or do pretty much anything. Basically, she'd be the ultimate bully, and there would be nothing I could do about it.

bluedaisy447 January 24th, 2020
.

she'd be my toxic friend who's always there to remind me of how bad I am.

artemisbenabese January 24th, 2020
.

A girl inside me about to become a corpse but trying so hard not to.

dapperDay3082 January 24th, 2020
.

My depression is a constantly negative person who only sees the bad in every situation. Every time I try to feel better or do something constructive, I'm told it's hopeless and never going to change so I should just give up and stay in my room away from the world.

Pangamonellis January 24th, 2020
.

If my depression were a person Im not sure what they would look like but they would be standing behind me with their hands over my mouth to support their weight

Tolstoj January 24th, 2020
.

An old grave keeper. He sits in an old rocking chair, shovel in one hand, smoking pipe in the other. All he does is look at me, watching me in my everyday, waiting for me to give up.

He is a very patient old man...

95969 January 24th, 2020
.

My depression would be a Magician. Even though I think it's gone it is there. Hidden. He can make reappear at the flick of a wand. I stand back and watch my horror unfold.

Listeninglisten96 January 26th, 2020
.

if depression were my friend she would actually be kind of happy. my depression is mostly thoughts of happier times and how much i miss it. my depression would love the color yellow and listen to lofi. my depression would be soft. it would be toxic though, but only on accident. it doesnt know better

C97 January 26th, 2020
.

my depression would be my stalker, that I can't shake off, and won't listen to reason. They will do what it takes to get to me, and won't understand why it's wrong.

SecretlyMe January 26th, 2020
.

I rarely think of depression as a person. I usually envison it as a thick fog. Like a fog, my depression envelopes me in darkness. It surrounds my vision so I can't see my loved ones trying to call me back to their open arms. I breathe it in and find it feels heavy in my lungs like I can't exhale it and remove it from within. Lost within the fog, unable to see, I hear dissociated voice telling me I am not good enough, I am dissappointing everyone, I am being a burden. I look around but the voice can't ever be connected to a face. This fog is unlke any other that I have experienced and rather than simply surrounding me, it squeezes me. It feels like it is closing in and like quicksand my only hope to prolong my survival is to not move. So I lie in bed each day and feel the pressure build; it is getting harder to breathe, it is getting harder to move, it is getting harder to listen to the incessent voice.

grace1606 January 26th, 2020
.

It would be a person made of a really heavy metal thats always hanging in my back like a monkey trying to get me to the ground.. it would be like furious and disappointed and with wants to make me disappear

Elliebean12345 January 26th, 2020
.

my depression would be a clown bc it's scary and tries to disguise its self as funny and happy when i take off the mask tho there's sadness and pain

95969 February 1st, 2020
.

My depression would be B rated actress. She would appear to be ok. But her life really is just a series of crappy events that spiral down until she's LIVING IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER.

dworth257 February 1st, 2020
.

it would be the part of me that believes the worst in others and in myself, and tells me that only the bad things i hear are the true ones

95969 February 1st, 2020
.

@dworth257

You were kind to me. That is a good thing. Should I scream so you can here and get that you are good.

YOU ARE KIND TO OTHERS !!!!

( hope you know it's true )

95969 February 1st, 2020
.

@95969

hear

dworth257 February 5th, 2020
.

@95969 this was really nice, thanks :) this actually made my day

95969 February 6th, 2020
.

@dworth257

I think I heard ( hehe ) a smile from you !!!!!smiley

You just made MY day

*grinning from ear to ear *

THANK YOU heart

herbs1955 February 1st, 2020
.

If my depression was a person, she would be a stalker who crashes my life without warning.

ElphieMay February 2nd, 2020
.

My depression isn't a person is a dark presence, I can feel it, the weight of it, the way it clings to my very essence, it chokes out my fire but I can't actually see it until it's too late and it has overcome me. It pins me down stops me from running for help, it covers my mouth and stops my cries. All the while it whispers that I'm no one, I'm not enough and that I don't deserve to be. It wants to overtake my soul and is waiting for the day I just give into it.

redraspberry3998 February 4th, 2020
.

If my depression were a person, they'd be a wallflower, sitting and watching, taking everything in, not saying much, just observing. Then they'd see something that would set alarm bells ringing- being an observer, they wouldn't miss a tiny detail which could cause so much pain if latched onto, i think they would even seek out these tiny details on purpose to see how far they could push me. You see wallflowers can be the most dangerous- they go unnoticed by so many for so long, they're a constant, they blend in, that if they use their tiny voice often enough it can be misconstrued as an internal voice rather than an outsider trying to worm their way in. This wallflower would be toxic, unrelenting, persisting until i see the world in the same way that it does, consuming me until i almost become the wallflower; disconnected, withdrawn, unseen.

kindStrings3073 February 4th, 2020
.

Dee-Dee sits in the corner, wearing a blanket covering herself all the way up to the neck. Her hair is chucked up, dry shampoo has been used for the 2nd day running.

On the table by the sofa are so many half empty mugs Dee-Dee has lost count. Theres a teaspoon stuck to the glass next to a plate. A few crumbs show it had a sandwich on it earlier.

Dee-Dee yawns, even though she's not moved since the last time she put the kettle on. Before she rolls over for another nap, she shouts out to me as I open the door to head off.

"Remember you've got x, y and z to do!"

She shouts.

"Oh, and try not to **** it up!"

Dee-Dee smirks, before snuggling back down on the sofa. Netflix asks if she's still watching.

determinedPapaya3444 February 4th, 2020
.

This might not make sense but if my depression were a person it would be a selfish ninja, because they wear masks hiding themselves just like my depression. But also because it hides in the dark barely seen until it acts, and hurts more than ever. Just like stealthy ninjas. But most of all I said SELFISH ninja because my depression is open to those around me, and craves attention.

DaydreamEllie February 5th, 2020
.

It would be the weird "friend", who says things like "oh of course you couldn't do it, it's you, it's fine, it was obvious from the start" and then sits with me and acts like a friend, but everything it says is in the tone of "you think you are good, you actually suck, but look, I'm here with you, I will always remember to remind you". But I can't get rid of it. Cause it's like it feeds on reminding me how useless I am.

Sorry if it's too weird, it just popped up in my head...

wontwakewontsleep OP February 8th, 2020
.

@DaydreamEllie - All of this is so relatable. It definitely feeds off of itself. It is too its benefit to make us feel as complacent with it as possible. Depression is so hard.

Just as its passive negativity makes it stronger, small moments of beauty and passive acknowledgements of okayness can make it weaker. Thanks so much for sharing this perspective. It's so valuable.

Goldcherry2113 February 5th, 2020
.

An assassin

WH173RA8817 February 5th, 2020
.

A 30-foot tall Eldritch horror, with glistening purple flesh, at least a thousand eyes, and tentacles jutting from its mouth and hands that drip black fluid from needle-like protrusions. It wears a red 2-piece velvet suit, and smells like burnt hair. It latches onto the back of your head and stays there forever like an inter-dimensional tick. It exists in all periods of history simultaneously and I dont know how to kill it.

earlgreylavender February 9th, 2020
.

@WH173RA8817

You have a spectacular imagination. U should write a book 💓

WalrusSound February 5th, 2020
.

My depression is an insidious thing. It is always nearby, waiting for moments of emotional weakness or duress, until it can pounce and strike when it maximizes its advantage.

It's like a blanket, wrapped around me, that keeps me from thinking more than a few minutes into the future. It dulls my senses, mutes the colours, and my flattens my enjoyment of all things

Over the course of time, it begins to erode my self confidence, which of course makes everything just a bit more difficult.

It clouds my ability to interact with people; I assume all malice and spite possible on their part..

It keeps me from wanting to do anything, other than passing time on pointless things.

It makes me ok with living in a single shitty messy room, doing nothing with my life. My level of enniu is incredible.

It makes me hate myself more and more as I watch my ex-wife continue to move on and rebuild her life in a healthy way. I don't wish her ill, it's just hard to watch her move on so easily.

It makes me unable to understand my self worth. It makes me distrustful of people who try and say otherwise.

It steals my motivation to do everything.

It makes me unhappy with so many aspects of my life that are measurably good. I am Canadian, yet I still feel like I should be somewhere else. It's not my countrymen, it's me.

I weep at least a dozen times a day (difficult to hide for a grown man).

I miss people, but I have no friends. I want to date, but since I married so young I have no idea how. Other adults with 15 years of various experience intimidate me. I just had the one person my whole life. It's so strange to think about this.

Dealing with the aftermath of a divorce is always rough. You will spend years cleaning up all the odd bits. It feels like a slug to the gut each time these issues are reopned. It's stressful here since they never fully *close*.

Anyways... I am just starting to rant so I will stop. Hope you all have a great day!

Dean1992 February 5th, 2020
.

My depression is a middle aged man with thinning hair, wearing a dull brown suit. He stands over me telling me how terrible and pathetic I am but he does so in a monotonous and quiet voice so it doesn't really sound mean. He grinds me down with his negativity and often brings up insignificant things and makes me feel bad about them. On some days he sucks out all my energy and motivation. On some days he is the only one that speaks to me. I hate him intensely but he reflects that hate back onto myself.

Ruthie97 February 5th, 2020
.

Mine would be Anabelle.

AlphaPheonix4720 February 6th, 2020
.

My depression is the best people in my life, circling my head, telling me I can never be like them, never be good enough, no matter how I try. My successes are poppies in the pure dry grass fields, stretching for miles, of failure. They are nothing. Unless I am good enough, I might as well be nothing.

niceComputer8824 February 8th, 2020
.

My Depression would be the Men who raped me and harass me and a pitbull who bit my stomach. Also being taken as a child to a different location that I did not understand. I know people I have had a bunch of crap. Including last 2 year Husband and I in a death cult including death of a child OD. So heavy......... On the other hand I try to be positive and enjoy life. It is a hard dichotomy.

18lonros February 8th, 2020
.

Mine is like a friend that is hurting me in a calm loving way that it takes me forever to see what is happening. I am confused I think they are trying to help me but they are not helping me they are killing me and I don't know what to do about it some days.