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The Worst Things to Say to Someone Who Is Depressed
3 things that may have good intentions, but can worsen depression.
Trigger Warning: The following content includes personal experiences and discussions around difficult topics such as trauma, emotional challenges, childhood maltreatment, or abusive relationships. While my intent is to educate and share personal insights, some readers may find certain content emotionally distressing. This article is for informational purposes only. Join me on my Substack.
I just saw a Jim Carrey video show up in my feed the other day, and was stunned at how deeply the video resonated with me. In the video, Jim is candidly talking about living with depression and how someone he knows helped him redefine the word “depressed” from something stigmatized and often misunderstood, to “deep rest”, which our mind, body, and soul need when we are experiencing depression.
Deep rest.
As someone who has lived with depression much of my life, I can relate to needing deep rest. Growing up, I was surrounded by unpredictability and abuse, which left me feeling unseen and unloved. I was chronically exhausted from just trying to survive. My nervous system was dysregulated from being on constant heightened alert and ‘flight’ mode, and sleep never felt restorative. By the…
