Depression isn't just for the suicidal

12 Things I Didn't Know About Depression....Until I figured out that I had Depression

I want to predicate this post with just a few thoughts. I do think that untreated depression can spiral out of control to fatal outcomes. I am thankful I haven't seen that kind of darkness. For me personally just getting to a point of recognizing there was a problem took a very long time. Maybe even up to a year. Tracking feelings and behaviors was a good start. Having a loving husband and supportive mother willing to help sort things out was and is key. I personally had a lot of preconceived notions about what "depression" was, so for a long time, I wrote it off as not being applicable to me. This post is just about that: addressing my own preconceptions about Depression.

1. You don't have to have suicidal thoughts to have depression

2. You can still think things are funny when you have depression

3. Depression and Anxiety are good friends and like to show up to the party holding hands

4. You don't have to sit on a couch and talk about your parents with a guy in an ugly cardigan to be treated for depression.

5. You can have a perfectly sweet life and still have depression

6. Depression isn't something to be ashamed of, even though it is really hard to talk about

7.  Feeling angry can be a symptom of depression/anxiety

8. Being told you have Depression is depressing, but telling people who love you about it creates a necessary support system

9. You don't have to figure out the "source" (if one even exists) to begin to move out of "that place"

10. There are times when drugs are better than hugs; seasons of depression/anxiety are one of those times.

11. Depression / Anxiety does not feel like that bummed out lady in the commercials that just walks around under a rain cloud so much as it does a really tiring wrestling match.

12. Keeping even a semi-clean house is virtually impossible with untreated depression. (Surely there's a study out there that can confirm this for me.)


My hope for you friends, is that when seasons come into your life when things are a real and constant struggle, that you be honest with yourself about how you are feeling. That you not let scary labels like "depression" and "anxiety" keep you from seeking the counsel of friends, family, therapists or medical professionals. 


"Oh God, grant that I might feel your strength this day. May I have the courage to face what is before me. Keep my heart light and filled with love. Amen."