What does depression feel like?

It's like you're underwater trying to swim to the surface, but there's something holding onto you, pulling you down, preventing you from breathing.

It's difficult, to say the least. It's a rush of mad thoughts in your head, and you want so desperately to fix it and/or make it go away, but it's like your body doesn't have the willpower to let you...

In all honesty having both is like a never ending battle. I have dealt with both and generally they conflict, especially with social things and becoming motivated, on one hand you are lonely and want to meet people or hang out with friends..but the anxiety stops you from fully interacting and creating bonds with people. You constantly worry about your future but the depression stops your motivation to go out and succeed. Although the seem opposite they are generally treated in the same manner, for me i have tried many different antidepresents until i found one that worked and i havent felt better after taking it, also by going out everyday even if i go for a walk on my own - which i wont lie took me 6 months to build up the courage to do- tires me out and lifts my spirits :)

In the words of Neil Hillborn "Depression wasn't an endless grey sky, it was no sky at all.".. Depression symptoms are losing interest in things you onced found exciting, excess fatigue, lasting feelings of sadness or emptiness....Anxiety feels like nervous tension in any situation that our body is responding fearfully to. It can feel crippling. These two combined are especially uncomfortable

Depression and anxiety are like one big black hole. After it pulls you in, you can’t get out without help. So you spend countless nights crying yourself until you fall asleep. And when things finally start getting better, depression pulls you back. You crash harder than before… It’s like drowning. Except you can see everyone else around, and you’re breathing. It’s like you are screaming as loud as you can, and no one can hear. No one cares. It’s like your inside is dying and it’s slowly coming out to your outside. You are always alone and lonely, no matter how many people are around you. No matter how many times people say you’re beautiful. It's hard to explain. Only those who have it understand.

It is unbearable.it makes you not to enjoy anything.it's like kissing your life.everything seem useless.and you cry a lot or get angry fast.

To explain anxiety better, have you ever had that mini-heart attack when you lean too far into a chair and fall over? That millisecond of sheer terror that you feel? That's what it's like to have anxiety, except it's all the time. Entire conversations are scripted in your head. "Don't talk too much about yourself. Ugh, you mentioned your own problems? You're so self-conceited! Apologise immediately for how much of a d-ck you are. It's not alright, don't listen to them. But drop it anyway, you don't deserve any kind of compliment you receive." These are examples of what go through my head whenever I have any sort of interaction with another person, given that I, too, have anxiety. Depression, however, JK Rowling personifies depression perfectly. Dementors, the guards of Azkaban, are described as these black, grim creatures that suck the soul and all happiness out of a person. A Dementor's Kiss is, in the books, literally sucking the soul out of your body to where you're just a shell of a human being. This, from my interpretation, is the worst your depression can ever become.

It's very... hard. It makes life more difficult then it has to be and its just terrible. It really is.

Living with depression and anxiety can be an absolute nightmare. You end up snapping at the very people who are trying to help you. You fail to see past the "gloom" that engulfs you. Being "down" becomes the only thing your brain can concentrate on. Down moments may only last a few minutes but it can feel like a lifetime. Downers can leave you feeling drained of energy and stupid for getting down over things that now (out of the pit of despair) seem ridiculous. Anxiety can rob you of the ability to leave your own home. A trip to the corner shop becomes a mission, riddled with glances over your shoulder and a battle to keep the panick attacks threatening at bay. A combination of both as is the case in most cases as depression and anxiety go hand in hand. Where you find one you will usually find the other. Anyway a combination of both leaves myself personally so physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted that I almost always end up having a sleep after an attack. Not only does it drain your energy but it can drain the energy of those around you. This in turn triggers downers making you feel guilty for the worry you cause others. It is a vicious cycle but it can be managed. Some people find breathing and meditation help other find that medication is the answer for them. What ever way it is handle there is no shame in it. There is no shame in going to your doctor and telling then you think you may be experiencing trouble with anxiety or depression or both. As is often the case. Getting help and talking about it is the first big step. I hope this helps someone apologise if it makes no sense it's half 5 in the morning :p

After all, what is happiness? Love, they tell me. But love doesn't bring and never has brought happiness. On the contrary, it's a constant state of anxiety, a battlefield; it's sleepless nights, asking ourselves all the time if we're doing the right thing. Real love is composed of ecstasy and agony.