What does depression feel like?

Depression is a serious mental health disorder that makes you feel as if you're trapped in darkness with no way out. Many people believe that depression is simply sadness, but it is much more than that. It negatively affects your thinking pattern. You begin to feel sad, low, and empty. You may even be struck by loneliness. Even when surrounded by people, you feel as if you have no one. You feel compelled to isolate yourself and avoid contact with others. At the same time, you feel bad for acting in this manner, even though it is not your fault. You feel as if you're losing or have lost yourself. Because you don't feel like yourself, you're constantly wondering who you're becoming or have become. It's undeniably painful to go through. It becomes more difficult when you are confronted with hopelessness. The sense of hopelessness hits you so hard that you feel as if you're constantly sinking in the darkness and will continue to sink because your brain convinces you that there is no way out. You tend to lose interest in previously enjoyable activities. You are bombarded with negative feelings and emotions, which at times, get so overwhelming and painful. Happiness becomes a rarity for you. It is possible to lose motivation. It becomes difficult to concentrate on anything. This frequently disrupts studies and work. Depression can make you feel as if your life is meaningless. You begin to feel lost or stuck. It can also have a detrimental effect on your self-esteem. It can make you feel useless, worthless, and not good enough. No matter what you do, no matter how much you try, your brain would constantly tell you that you’re not enough, or that you’re a failure. You start to feel horrible about yourself. Depression can also interfere with your daily life by affecting your sleep routine; you either sleep too much or too little. It can also affect your appetite; you either eat more than usual or feel too exhausted and low to eat. Suicidal ideation can be triggered by depression. Anxiety can accompany depression, worsening the situation. It is extremely difficult to handle both depression and anxiety at the same time. It is not necessary that you will experience every symptom of depression. Keep in mind that everyone is unique. Everyone has a different experience with depression, and each one is valid.

It feels like you keep falling into a black hole. You feel so empty that you literally can't feel anything. You just feel so numb and you are not able to even cry. You feel like you are stuck and kind of going around in circles. You feel so depressed that you find it really hard to see any hope. Then you start wondering "what is my purpose?" "Do I deserve to live?" You feel like you are alone. You don't want to talk to people, you just want to sleep and lay in bed all day. When you are surrounded by people, you just fake smile but deep inside you feel heartbroken. You feel like you don't deserve to live. You feel worthless and that you are a burden to everyone. Sometimes, you might also think that people will be better without you. Unfortunately, this is not the truth tho! There is hope and there are so many people that deal with depression! Many of them have overcome it too! If they can, then why can't you? :)