Depression and Why So Many People Experience It

Depression is more than feeling sad or upset. Depression is smiling and feeling the weight of your world crashing in on you. It’s the feeling of not wanting to do anything or go anywhere. Everything you once loved to do becomes dull, boring, and not worth the time or effort. You know people care, but you still wonder if it’s worth continuing. Depression is an enormous, black hole, sucking everything you once cared about into its dark, cold void, and it’s almost impossible to escape. I know, I feel it almost every day. It’s easy for people to say you’re fine, you’ll get through this, or my personal favorite, “there is no excuse for you to be depressed.” Those with depression know this and believe me if we had the option to “turn it off,” we would. The truth is we’re not okay, we’re hurting, and we’re fighting every day to keep on living.

There are many things that contribute to depression, and why so many people experience it. For one, we live in a society where looks, status, finances, and acceptance is a large part of our life. Many people look down on those who do not meet these standards, and those who are rejected experience deep depression, longing to fit in. They attempt to live a lifestyle that society wants them to live, instead of doing the things they love. When you live trying to please those around you, you lose yourself trying to become someone they want you to be, instead of you being yourself.

Secondly, people are overworked and underpaid. There are many people whose life only consists of eating, sleeping, and working. That’s it. They don’t go out and socialize, they have little to no time with their family and friends, and they feel like it’s the only way to live, so they continue working in a job that’s getting them nowhere. When you work your life away and are never there for your loved ones, you start to drift away not meaning to. There have been numerous divorces due to people not having the time to spend with their families, solely because they are always working. The never-ending cycle of working your life away for things you barely get to use or see is a big contributor to depression. Surely there is more to life than working and dying.

Thirdly, social media is the alternative to going out and socializing. As human beings, we need to communicate to survive and stay sane. There have been numerous scientific studies conducted, to study what would happen to people if they were secluded from any type of human contact. The people in the studies became withdrawn, started hallucinating, and came up with unseen entities to have conversations with. Humans need active communication with those around them. When people sit behind a screen and scroll through memes, mindlessly for hours at a time, messaging people here and there, it becomes tiring, dull, and depressing. We share the same memes and quotes, hoping to get a like or to be noticed. We look for acceptance by posting pictures of ourselves with filters, we post how perfect our lives are on a screen when in reality, we are drowning in depression. It’s easy to portray the perfect life, but in my opinion, it’s not worth the mental despair that comes along with pretending to have it made. We live behind a screen and miss what’s going on around us.

Depression is curable; however, it’s up to you if you want to fix your depression. Every day is not going to be a good day and that’s okay, it’s what you do to overcome the sadness to keep going forward. Whether you need to change your lifestyle, go to a therapist, or a doctor to be prescribed medication, the decision is up to you to get better. Sitting on your tush and doing the same things over and over will only continue the never-ending cycle.

After many years of trying to deny help and telling myself it will pass, I finally decided to seek the help I desperately need. The overwhelming feeling of anxiety washed over me as I mustered up the courage to get an appointment set up for myself. Many people who experience depression, also experience anxiety, which can be a burden when you are ready to seek help. There are many fears about being put on the wrong medication, feeling judged, being around people when you don’t want to, and more. However, if you are feeling like there is no way out and you become more depressed, overcoming your fears is a must if you truly want to get better. Sitting around and hoping it will someday pass is only prolonging you from gettin better and causing more depression. Remember, many people go through depression and it’s okay to seek help.

While there are many things that contribute to depression, there are also many ways to defeat depression and regain control of your life. Living in a demanding society can be exhausting, and cause numerous mental health problems; however, you can overcome any hardships life throws at you. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it in the end. Personally, if you ever need anyone to talk to about depression and overcoming it, you are free to email me anytime.