Sadness Vs. Depression — How Does It Feel
Short takes on how I see life when I’m depressed versus when I’m sad.
When I’m sad, I think I did something bad, and I should feel bad.
When I’m depressed, I genuinely believe everyone’s life would be better with me out of the equation.
When I’m sad, I want to feel better.
When I’m depressed, I think what an audacity it is that someone like me ever dares to want to feel better.
When I’m sad, I worry things will be hard and complicated to fix.
When I’m depressed, I am convinced beyond doubt that my life is too broken to be fixed, and I can never undo what I’ve done.
When I’m sad, I want to indulge in comforts and don’t participate in life for a moment.
When I’m depressed, I want everything to end.
When I’m sad, I want to sleep. I usually wake up feeling better.
When I’m depressed, I also want to sleep. I wake up feeling like I was beaten up with a crowbar.
When I’m sad, I have less energy to do what I want to do.
When I’m depressed, I have no interest in doing anything.
When I’m sad, I want to be alone, but I can be around people. Sometimes they make the sadness go away.
When I’m depressed, everything irritates me to the point of agony. I am short-tempered, cranky, and mean. I cannot stand even the people I love the most.
When I’m sad, I am a bit tired.
When I’m depressed, I’m exhausted.
When I’m sad, I feel less excited about life.
When I’m depressed, I see life as unbearable.
Some final thoughts.
I find that seeing the difference between sadness and depression helps to fight either state of mind. The more you know your beast, the easier it is to tame it.
Whatever your personal feelings and experiences are, remember that depression is always lying. That’s kind of its game. It’s not too imaginative either, so the lies get easy to spot after a bit of training.
Once you identify the lines, you can level the fight and start winning it. Slowly but surely.
