Don’t tell me to cheer up and think that everything is going to be OK.
Depression is not sadness, although it can be a sad thing, but please
do not confuse the two. Sadness is a very temporary issue that can be overcome
next time your endorphin levels are at a slightly higher which can be achieved as
easily as having a piece of chocolate.
If you are sad, talking about your sadness issues can be resolved talking
to an empathetic friends over a coffee,
a bowl of iced cream, or while walking
in the park. The sadness goes away, and you can move on to the next crisis.
Grief is a form of sadness that is associated with a loss – loss due to
death of someone or something to which you are emotionally attached (family,
friend, pet, relationship, etc.). This too shall pass, and going through the
grieving process is longer than being sad, and grief normally gives way to the
sporadic sadness when you miss the emotional attachment, and again can be
overcome relatively quickly.
Depression is having your mind set on being REALLY sad, and not being
able to shake the feeling for weeks, months, or even years.
Depression can cause a crying jag for little apparent reason, so
delicate is the balance of emotions between being just REALLY sad and devastated.
Depression can make you forget how to smile.
Depression means reading the daily Obituaries, and being jealous of the
people that died, because they are no longer in pain. Hearing that somebody
died by their own hand gives you pause to rejoice because it gives you hope
that one day you be strong enough to do the same. Hearing that somebody attempted,
but did NOT die by their own hand, gives you reason to morn because the
depressed person was interrupted by somebody who did not understand what was
going on.
Don’t offer to help me through my depression by talking it out; talking
helps a little, but it can take weeks, months, even years, talking an hour or
two each and every week, so if you are not in it for the long haul, don’t even
start.
