I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve tried to sit down and write again. Blogging and sharing my heart used to flow easily from my fingers onto the page. I knew what I wanted to say and I easily said it. However, depression took hold of my life, followed by intense trauma. In my brokenness my voice was silenced, even though my soul screamed out in pain… communicating that pain in writing was impossible.
What is the point of sharing this now? I want to bring awareness to what it is like on the inside for someone struggling with depression, hopefully to help others know how to care for a friend who is engulfed in a battle with depression. To give a voice to those who are struggling silenced by the mind numbing pain of being depressed.
First off, you must understand that sometimes the only way for someone who is afflicted with depression to come to any sort of normalcy is to take medication. It’s not a matter of just changing your frame of mind and only focusing on the good. Someone in the depths of true dark depression can’t just muster up happy thoughts and look on the bright side. You HAVE to understand that there isn’t an easy fix and that the one struggling isn’t able to just cheer up. You HAVE to accept them right where they are.
One of the major symptoms of depression is to push everyone away. There is so much shame involved, not to mention the fact that communication becomes incredibly difficult, small talk becomes exhausting and eventually impossible. In the midst of it all it feels like you are suffocating, just getting out of bed in the morning becomes a battle so socializing while you feel on the outside of everything becomes impossible.
But with that said, you can’t give up. You can’t allow the push, the rejection from someone who is depressed to allow you to give up on them. No matter how hard it is to stay firm… They need you, they need to know that even though they aren’t able to reciprocate the relationship that you are still there. That once the fog of pain clears, you’ll still be standing there. You won’t be another name in the list of those who gave up on them. I was blessed to have a few who stood faithful through my struggle, I was the worst friend imaginable… But they never gave up checking in on me and for that I’m forever grateful.
These two things, they are beyond huge.
