Be Kind, Always
Depression- the word itself maybe a taboo for the maximum population of a country where having it means you have gone cuckoo. Even with all the awareness, people opening up about it, people dying because of it, depression will always mean crazy. Its not uncommon to hear, even from young generation that, "Depression vepression kuch nahi hota" or "Mera beta/beti pagal thodi hai". Depression by no means equates to crazy and it never will. Mental illness is not crazy- it is curable and it exists!
Depression does not mean that a person is continuously crying or is sad all the time. A perfectly healthy person who is smiling all the time may have depression. A person with a perfect life may have depression. Depression has no face- it has no definition.
People with depression do not always talk about their feelings or tell you that something is wrong. It is not like they don't want to, they might but they are afraid of how people will react, how people will call them needy and the funniest of all "Be a man!" "Don't be so weak" "You are a strong person". Telling a depressed person all these things is like telling boiling milk to not boil.
From being the person inside this mess and being an outsider, depression can only be cured if you have people who love you, care about you and support you without being judgemental. The person may not be able to express how he feels but he will feel loved, he will not feel alone and he will feel wanted.
Asking people to tell you how they feel is just a formality because depressed people will not tell you that. They will need time, they will need attention, they will need you to make them believe that you are trustworthy, they will need to see how much you care, they will need efforts and only then they will open up. Just posting stories about how if anybody is not feeling alright they can come to you to talk is not enough.
All the world need is a little kindness, a little love and a little respect and maybe nobody will be depressed anymore. Maybe acknowlodging that it exists is the first step but kindness goes a long way. No matter who it is, a small smile can make his/her day. A kind hello can make the person happy even for a split second. And being a listener, being there for him/her will slowly cure depression.
Depression does not mean that a person is continuously crying or is sad all the time. A perfectly healthy person who is smiling all the time may have depression. A person with a perfect life may have depression. Depression has no face- it has no definition.
People with depression do not always talk about their feelings or tell you that something is wrong. It is not like they don't want to, they might but they are afraid of how people will react, how people will call them needy and the funniest of all "Be a man!" "Don't be so weak" "You are a strong person". Telling a depressed person all these things is like telling boiling milk to not boil.
From being the person inside this mess and being an outsider, depression can only be cured if you have people who love you, care about you and support you without being judgemental. The person may not be able to express how he feels but he will feel loved, he will not feel alone and he will feel wanted.
Asking people to tell you how they feel is just a formality because depressed people will not tell you that. They will need time, they will need attention, they will need you to make them believe that you are trustworthy, they will need to see how much you care, they will need efforts and only then they will open up. Just posting stories about how if anybody is not feeling alright they can come to you to talk is not enough.
All the world need is a little kindness, a little love and a little respect and maybe nobody will be depressed anymore. Maybe acknowlodging that it exists is the first step but kindness goes a long way. No matter who it is, a small smile can make his/her day. A kind hello can make the person happy even for a split second. And being a listener, being there for him/her will slowly cure depression.
The advice given is pretty good but don't you believe that depression can only be cured by the person who is suffering? There are certainly many ways to diminish it but I believe the person needs to stand up strong and fight the odds.
ReplyDeleteP.S I was highly depressed for a couple of months recently
I agree but wouldn't it be better if you got a little support from the people around you? Ultimately its you who needs to get out of it but support is always good isn't it? I wouldn't say I got out of mine solely by myself but its up to us definitely. Even though people who love and care about me didn't know about my depression but still helped me through it.
DeleteP.S. I am here in case you need to talk or wanna do anything :)