Depression. One word, a plethora of feelings. And yet, a deafening silence often fills the room where it’s talked about. We often attach the phrase “mental illness” to the word “depression.” Maybe that’s how it drains the meaning out of the disease. It shakes hands with a lot of stigma – all declaring depression something to be ashamed of. But the mind often asks – Is that the right thing to do?
No! It’s better to let the word land in a room without shame, without dressing it up, and without apology. You don’t need to soften its edges and decorate its outer surface. It is what it is. Depression – a sickness that usually makes you a spectator in your own life. It’s never a sign of weakness. It is one of the facts that have always existed in the long geography of being human. And these truths are never your foe. They are your future, your helper towards a healthy and better tomorrow. They are your starting points.
When the world asks us to whisper our pain, shout back at them – I won’t be suppressed by your loud screams.
We often rebrand depression as stress, conceal it with productivity, and cover it with a smile that hurts the edges of our lips. We are conditioned to look okay way before we are given the green signal to be real. But healing does not commence in disguise. It begins with recognition. This is where I stand now, and I don’t hate myself for where I stand now.
Depression slows time. It is so dense and intense. The mind never shuts off. Even little chores come bearing the weight of mountains. But even during this slowing down, there is something delicate that does not pass away – awareness. It is not the darkness that perceives you. The witness is still awake. And as long as there is something in you that is watching, there is nothing in you that is absolutely lost.
There is a strange power in going on without knowing. When you brush your teeth, and you feel there’s no meaning to it. In dressing up for a party while feeling low. But these are not small acts. They are silent uprisings against giving up. They are evidence that even when we are weary, we are still, somewhere, resisting.
You don’t need to turn into a radiant person in one day. It is not a transformational performance. We can hardly ever see it.
It is made of tiny choices – a truthful word, a step into the open air, a moment not to fade away. Even small advancements are heroic attempts. More often, they feel ordinary. But it is quiet perseverance that helps people live through storms they once thought would have killed them.
And hark! depression is a liar.
It says that you already know the future.
It informs you that your story has come to an end.
It tells you that nothing will be different.
But that’s never the truth. What we feel is not what’s really happening around us. Depression creates a world of lies and assumptions that aren’t true. So, treat it like the spam in the inbox of your mind. Never open it. Even if you do, don’t believe a word it says.
Never let it write your story, your feelings, or your life. Let it pass just as it came – slowly at its own pace. When you do so, the weight will shift on its own. Maybe a laugh will arrive unannounced. Maybe dressing up won’t feel like a burden.
You may not notice the exact moment it happens. Healing will happen quietly. It will happen in fragments, in inches, in breaths.
But if you’re not there yet, stand where you are, unashamed.
Yes, you are depressed.
So what?
You are also alive.
And that still means something.