Now, instead, imagine that your brain is sick. Instead, imagine everyday is a cycle of falling asleep tired and waking up exhausted. Imagine not feeling that relief of knowing the next night could be better. Living with depression feels a lot like that, and it affects more people than you may think.
A Day in the Life of Someone Living with Depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), more than six million men and twelve million women experience depression.
Most of us are familiar with the textbook symptoms of depression:
- suicidal thoughts
- loss of interest in daily activities
- insomnia
- fatigue
- fluctuating weight
However, it would be a disservice to assume anyone lives their life as black-and-white as a textbook reading of his/her/their symptoms. We are individuals, and as individuals our experiences vary from one another. It’s no different for those battling depression. The disease doesn’t look the same for everyone, so why should the everyday life, or the path to healing, be assumed to be the same?
Living with depression is an everyday fight, though it seems that depressive states occur in waves. For Sasha Perigo—who wrote an article about her experience with depression for Medium—the depression state can feel permanent. “Like the frog boiling alive, I slip into a depressive state slowly. I don’t notice small changes in my mood, appetite, or energy levels.
Once things have gotten bad enough that my symptoms cause ‘significant impairment in my daily life’ I can usually recognize intellectually that I’ve entered a depressive state. I’m cognizant of some of my symptoms, but I chalk others up to personal failures rather than illness. It’s only days like today—when I ‘snap out of it’—that I regain mental clarity about the symptoms I’ve been experiencing.”
To cope, some have developed small ways to combat the feeling—or lack thereof—that depression leaves. Charles Binova, a poet who has been living with depression since he was nineteen, spoke with Denise Mann in an article written for EveryDayHealth about what his daily life looks like. He writes that he often wakes up feeling overwhelmed. For him, something that helps is taking his medications and beginning the day by preparing a meal for both his partner and himself.
“Cooking my food does a lot to improve my mood and keep me focused. I love the scents of oregano, basil, garlic, and onion. They have a powerful effect on me as far as my mood goes.”
Binova also utilizes therapy light boxes and lavender incense. He’s recognized problem areas in his day-to-day life—like the shadowy corners in his house that the light therapy box prevents, and the late night anxiety that the lavender incense combats—and has taken measures to make daily life better.
Conclusion
This article is not intended to provide you with a definitive solution for living with depression, nor is it a self-help guide guaranteeing that Binova’s methods will instantly improve your well-being.
Instead, its purpose is to remind you that you are not alone and that there is hope for a brighter future. It encourages you to identify and address the areas in your life that contribute to your struggles, gradually alleviating the prevalence of those long, melancholic days. Perhaps you wake up each morning under the weight of a metaphorical storm cloud, its thunderous thoughts and lightning flashes disrupting your peace. But remember, you can share the burden with others who understand. Eventually, the clouds will dissipate, revealing a clearer sky.
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