Depressed? It may be a Progressive Sign.

Avik Sengupta
Nov 3 · 5 min read
Depression is a reality!

So you feel you are down with depression? That is not the best feeling in the world: you will no longer have the self-consciousness, the sense of surroundings, the excitement of future, the moments of present and now you are all set to stay isolated and away from everyone you love and care for. No more TV series, movies and clubs can get you back to the enjoyment. You were once a wild beast in the parties, so lively, so entertaining, so enjoyable, and filled with so much self-worth, but now you are just feeling like a junk in the world of idiots. As simple as that: You are now willing to either die or planning to hurt yourself to the core so as to torture yourself for this situation. You feel this is all your fault somewhere and all the bad situations have one thing in common- YOU! You are not earning money, you are not busy, you are not surrounded by loving people, and hence it gets much more difficult to connect to people in and around you. We can understand to some extent what is happening to you. But one thing that we can predict is something different if you live through it a bit more than what you think you are capable. You can just ask for, like, the final chance- If this doesn’t work out then I am gone for sure. Just give yourself that extra push for living, it can be just an extra day or even an extra minute to just bear with the depression.

Believe me you will always figure a way out to get your depression under control, because after all we are social animals and we want attention and some name. Once you can find the place where you will be acknowledged and appreciated- that’s it: it will be the end of that particular phase.

Charlie Chaplin once said: “ I prefer walking in rain because I don’t have to hide my tears.”

Are you going through it?

Sad right? But again the fact is that he was the one who made us all laugh our hearts out at one point of time. He was a master comedian and the rest is history, as we all know. So how could he make us laugh with his skills? Those skills are surely not inherited. So, those are acquired. How did he do that? Because somewhere down the line he knew what was missing from his life. It was that particular thing which he didn’t want in others. He did not want others to go through a sad phase of life and hence he took up as his responsibility to make others smile with his gestures and actions.

No, he didn’t want the world to know his depressed side: a dark secret which he was able to hide for years and years and he hid it through make-up. Yes, now he got appreciation and attention. He was now a celebrity and a renowned personality. But still somewhere down the line he didn’t have the reliance on himself w.r.t. to the self confidence. That is the problem! You cannot yet rely on the world because you have got no one to get empathetic with.

You just need one thing, GET EMPATHETIC FOR SOMEONE.

It will be a whole different ball-game when you can find someone for whom you will have an objective in life. You cannot see him/her in tears, depression, anxiety, pain and trouble. Hence you can take it as an objective to at least make him/her not face the situation as you had been forced upon. Just that one person for whom you can do this! You need to find that person. Now, it might not seem a very good idea to do something for someone as this is a very cruel and thankless world. You won’t get any recognition in this, no thank you, no fame, and no one will remember you for this.

So, what are you getting in return? Just think for once! You will be working for yourself and no one else. It is only you yourself who will be benefited if you can divert your mind towards him/her. So, you are getting diverted from your main problem. The reason being him/her. He/She need not be your girlfriend/boyfriend or wife/husband or dad/mom, it can be anyone with whom you are sharing an empathy and thoughts. Once you are in terms of him/her, you get to understand the situations better and faster. You now know what he/she is feeling and therefore it will help you in getting the situations straight in front of you. No, this is not because of love, or trust; this is because of the empathy that has made you think of him/her because of that common thing between you- Depression.

Slow diversion is the key to get away from this phase.

Now you will get engaged with that person, making him/her smile, going out with him/her, helping him when he/she feels empty and lonely, giving him/er company when he/she weeps and discloses something to you. One thing is for sure: even you need a listener. A listener who will not interrupt you and with whim you can share everything. Even he/she needs that — A full fledged listener. You yourself do not want an adviser, but a listener. Hence you will be the only one who will be listening to them. Initially it won’t be easy to listen to someone for whom you have just one feeling- empathy. But slowly you will get accustomed to it, and now no longer it will be boring or irritating.

Slowly you will make it happen. You will get the things out of him/her. Now that was the first step towards whole process. Once you get the things out, you will now have to inculcate other things which can be replaced. And such things, you will have to decide. If he gets addicted to drugs or video games or people, it is up to you. You are the one to guide him/her through it. If you can somehow bring him/her in terms with their own self- you have your job done. Alas! slowly you will understand that in the process of doing so and so for him/her you have somehow managed to get yourself in terms of that life as well. In order to save him/her, you got a listener from their side as well, you would have confidence in discussing things with them, you will love to talk things of here and there and somehow you will not feel as low as you were before. Now you will get in terms of people, money, parties, and friends. Slowly, but steadily your curve will increase and improve.

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