What does depression feel like?

It's different for everyone really. Although there are criteria to help diagnosis someone with either depression or anxiety there are such a wide array of symptoms someone can experience that it's impossible to really specify what it would be like.

I don't know if it's different for everyone or not, but for me depression is an inability to move, my body is a prison and my mind is trying to break free but can't. My anxiety manifests as irrational paranoia where my mind is split between paranoia and rational.

Like being sucked into a dark hole with no way out, and then being sucked further and further into that hole and you can't see any light.

Having depression and/or anxiety is like having part of you permanently covered by a shadow. You feel trapped within yourself.

Anxiety isn't something that's initially obvious to everyone. There is no point in asking someone who's been anxious all their life how they would be without it- they have no way of knowing what life is like without anxiety because it unfortunately plays a part in their understanding of themselves and the world around them. I always had the feeling I had life on 'hard mode' for no obvious reason. I'd put in more effort than everyone else and get far less reward, I couldn't take pressure anything like as well as my peers and had real issues when it came to doing every day things like getting out of bed or making dinner. I was worried all the time, though I didn't entirely understand to what extent. After having my breakdown, I came to the realisation that I was unhealthy, not just physically but also mentally. I'd been neglecting myself for many many years. Now I'm equipped with the correct coping mechanisms to make my days a hell of a lot easier, life doesn't feel like it's on 'hard mode' anymore. I still feel the aches and pains of life, and I'm so glad about that- don't imagine I'm saying life is 'easy' now. It's just right. Sometimes it's hell, sometimes it's fine, but none of that has to do with anxiety anymore. I still 'have' depression and anxiety, but my life is no longer defined by them. You can achieve this too. If you realise you're in a similar boat, or just think you might have some sort of anxiety disorder, please get help. It was what I needed, and neglecting that need cost me a few years of my life I'll never get back!

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health concerns in our society. They are often experienced as a complex set of emotional and functional challenges. Depression is typically characterized by low energy and mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Anxiety may be a normal reaction to stress, and it can serve as a prompt to deal with difficult situations. However, when anxiety becomes excessive, it may fall under the classification of an anxiety disorder.

I can't answer that for depression. But anxiety feels like a continious (or fases) voice in your head or feeling that stops you from doing things, or stops you from feeling things. It can get to a point that you won't be able to have any control over what those feelings are or when it stops.

Depression and anxiety are awful feelings. It's like the days when you don't want to get up to go to school, but know you should. The difference is with depression, you know you need to get up, but you physically cannot, because the cloud is weighing down on you so heavily. Anxiety is even worse when coupled with depression, because let's say you manage to get out of bed, you've given depression the finger. Here comes anxiety, scaring the hell out of you and confining you to the inside of your room, for fear of judgment from the rest of the world.

Depression and anxiety are like these terrible awkward cousins that keep showing up at your place uninvited and over-staying their welcome. Depression always comes over and takes up all the space on your couch and complains about EVERYTHING. This sucks. Life sucks. YOU suck. But Depression goes on and on for so long that it becomes hard to disagree! Meanwhile, Anxiety's running around the kitchen screaming aobut the house being on fire. You KNOW the house isn't on fire, but Anxiety is just keeps shouting and dropping pots and pans and things to get your attention and it puts your teeth on edge. It's so hard to think, sometimes it's even hard to breathe. Sometimes you forget what it's like to live without these two.

Its like someone is always putting you down you never feel good enough and you get so far deep into the hole of depression