For You, the Downright Average Depressed.

Yes, you need a therapist.

Are you experiencing signs of depression, but you can’t really seem to find the root of your problems? Do you feel that, while you certainly have some blessings in your life, you can’t really feel happy or that there’s something missing?

You can’t find a purpose. You can’t really envision yourself doing something, or just the opposite, you envision yourself doing tons of things that in the end of the day overwhelm you, and end up doing nothing? And a lot of times, you know what you would need, to get out of that state. But you don’t take that action.

Well, hello. Welcome to the club. You are certainly not alone.

I come from a relatively normal family, with its own quirks, of course. I realized that I experienced symptoms of depression when I left for college. But it was just phases that I would go through, so I just let them pass by.

There would be weeks that I’d experience mood swings, my appetite would be virtually non-existent and I would just experience a general feeling of futility with my life, or with life in general, for that matter.

After a while, though, there comes a breaking point that you know you have to take action. My breaking point was just another phase, but it lasted longer (approximately 5 months). One of my best friends just called a psychiatrist and booked me an appointment, despite my objections. And just like that, I started to get help.

But the point of the story, isn’t to analyze my depression, but to address yours. Now, I know that lots of people are resistant to this kind of thing, or they try it a couple of times, and they say it’s not for them. This kind of resistance, is depression getting the best of you.

Nobody loves seeing a therapist, especially the first couple of months. It’s devastating. You revisit all your trauma and put it out in the open. It was hell for me (and remember, I had a pretty much average upbringing). But only once you do that, you’ll start to realize that you are not your trauma, but your trauma is part of you. At some point you’ll start dropping the victim mentality.

There are numerous ways that depression chooses to manifest itself, but the approach towards regulating symptoms of depression are pretty much textbook. Go for a walk, call a friend, start a hobby. Whatever gets you out of bed.

So that’s what I’m here for. To be that best friend that gets you to get some help. I don’t know where or who you are, and how big or small you think your problems are. I don’t care if you think it’s too late for you to start doing something about your mental health. Do it. Believe me, you’ll find something.

Even if you don’t think that your symptoms are that serious, please, still seek help. You don’t need to be harming yourself to be valid as a therapy patient. Everybody should get the chance to analyze their thought patterns in order to understand why they think a certain way. This process will definitely help your decision-making process.

All parents messed their children up somehow, in at least one aspect of their lives. You won’t see results right away, or have some kind of epiphany that snaps you out of it. But without realizing, it will put you on a path of improvement. Once you start crossing that path, you’ll realize looking back, that you’ve somehow advanced yourself.

Right now, I can see you lying on your couch, or bed, thinking that another day went by and you didn’t do anything. You see everybody on social media leading such interesting lives, while you’re sitting around, doing the bare minimum. So please, commit to yourself and get some kind of help. Google qualified specialists, or ask a friend if they know anybody that can be of help to you.

The same brain that got you in this mental state, can’t get you out on its own; that brain needs to have some proper conversations in order to trace back what it was that got you thinking this way. And no, conversations only with friends and family are not enough. They can be really helpful, but they’re not enough.

Life is not futile; it’s magnificent. That statement, coming from me, is extremely ironic, because I’m definitely a pessimist, and I have in no way overcome my depression. But I’m in a better place than I was two years ago. I’ve learned what triggers me and now I don’t let my phases spiral for too long. I observe, I take better control, and you can, too.

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Best Free Assessment: Doctor on Demand

Best for Access to a Psychiatrist: MDLive