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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?

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DepressedTammy April 24th, 2018

If my depression were a person I would tell it to go away and leave me alone.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 1st, 2018

@DepressedTammy - Me too.

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secretStrawberries8593 April 24th, 2018

If my depression very to be a person, it would be kind of conservative. They would keep themself content and then out of nowhere just explode. They would come out of nowhere and scare you at the moment you'd least expect it. And then they'd walk away and leave you alone again, and then start the whole proccess over again.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 1st, 2018

@secretStrawberries8593 - Yes, it's very much like a cycle sometimes ): on the one hand being somewhat subdued but knowing that at any moment a depressive episode might wreak havoc on us. It's like we are looking over our shoulders for our depression, even when it feels like we're coping well. Thanks for sharing. <3

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indigoJet762 April 24th, 2018

If my depression were a person, I would punch it in the face. Just right in the nose. So many times. And I guess it would get up and give me such sad eyes that the guilt would tear me apart.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 1st, 2018

@indigoJet762 - You're definitely not alone with this. ): I might also punch depression right in the face. The idea of being tricked back into it is truly scary but a real concern. Thanks for posting <3

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lrene April 24th, 2018

If depression were a person, I would honestly punch them in the face, and then strangle them to death!! Ok no 😶 I would just refuse to be near them.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 1st, 2018

@lrene - Yes! I would also like to punch it in the face, but probably just not being around it would be healthier for us, good point!

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Gigglesxoxo April 24th, 2018

If my depression were a person...it would be drowning me with negative thoughts till no end.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 1st, 2018

@Gigglesxoxo - Yes, too many negative thoughts to breathe through sometimes. ): Thanks <3

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llychee April 24th, 2018

it would be best friends with my anxiety.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 1st, 2018

@llychee - Absolutely, my depression and anxiety go hand-in-hand too. Sometimes I think they gang up on me and sometimes I think my depression bullies my anxiety too. It's complicated in our heads sometimes! Thanks for sharing this <3

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ZebraGirl13 April 24th, 2018

If my depression were a person, it would be the warm body in my cold bed that begs me to stay asleep instead of starting another day.

"Why bother? It's pointless. Nothing you do matters and you will never be good enough. Why put yourself out there? Why spend the energy and suffer through the drudgery for nothing? Stay here, where it's dark and familiar and safe."

Sorry, Depression. Someone's got to pay the bills. And while I'm at work, how about doing some dishes once in a while? Freakin' freeloader.

1 reply
greenscenes April 25th, 2018

@ZebraGirl13 Уou souиd doши. Шaииa cнaт aвouт iт? I наve depressioи тoo.

1 reply
ZebraGirl13 April 25th, 2018

@greenscenes

That's very kind, thank you... Unfortunately I'm at work and don't have enough time to chat tonight. I'll be okay, there's just a lot going on in my head right now.

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wontwakewontsleep OP May 1st, 2018

@ZebraGirl13 - Hah ): Yeah, depression is a freeloader. Good on you for trying so valiantly to do anything with depression clinging and taunting. It is very difficult to leave it's familiar side but sometimes we surprise ourselves. Thanks for sharing this

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Kangaroo04609 April 24th, 2018

If my depression was a person,it would be like that creepy guy that tries to lure kids into a car to kidnap them. My depression would be the person trying to luring me away from life, from friends, from work, from family, from sunlight, from laughter, and from happiness.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 1st, 2018

@Kangaroo04609 - Scary image but very accurate. It's definitely like a human oredator, luring us away from all that might bring us some peace or joy. ): Thanks for the post <3

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limeMoon7691 April 25th, 2018

if my depression was a person, it would be assertive. always there, in the back of my mind, always standing right behind me. checking a watch. "what are you doing right now? why haven't you done this yet? at this rate, you'll never amount to anything. hiding from me is only setting you back further."

it taps its foot impatiently. a reminder that everything i'm doing isn't what i should be doing, so it doesn't mean anything, so i don't mean anything. that there is a schedule to life, and if everything isn't done on time, complete and formatted and proofread and submitted for review, i won't pass, i don't deserve to keep trying, there will not be an extension on this assignment.

it is cold and calculating. it knows how to isolate you; it blends in with the warmer parts of your day and reminds you that you shouldn't be talking to people, you shouldn't be slacking off and having fun, you have a project to do. you shouldn't eat until you've accomplished something significant to the human race.

you fight back, but never in the right ways. you submit work a day late. you throw yourself into hobbies. you sleep because it blocks out the ticking of its wristwatch, and it watches, unimpressed, from your bedside, knowing that you are exhausted, but you can't sleep forever. you smile like there's no one standing behind you, pushing down on your shoulders, passively reminding you that it's rude to keep the soil waiting.

you don't even have any deadlines coming up, and that's probably the worst thing.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 14th, 2018

@limeMoon7691 - Yes ): In many ways our depression puts an inhuman amount of pressure on us and then makes us feel bad for not living up to its unattainable idea of perfection, and it can be very manipulative about it as well. <3 Thanks for sharing

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ness1698 April 25th, 2018

If my depression were a person, it would be a ghost that haunts me every night. My dark thoughts and worries are always more prominent in the night time, when I get home from work and before going to bed.

1 reply
wontwakewontsleep OP May 16th, 2018

@ness1698 - Yes ): It is like a ghost. My dark thoughts are stronger at night too, like the depression builds strength during the day.

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