Do you know what depression feels like?

If you have never experienced depression, it can be hard to understand what it is really like to experience it. When you hear the word depressed, likely you think of sorrow or grief, but that often isn’t how depression shows up for people who deal with it chronically. 

While sorrow and grief can make you feel depressed, experiencing depression is much more than just those feelings. 

So what is it really like? Here’s how depression has been described by those who experience chronic depression: 

The emotional equivalent of watching paint dry: 

Does this sound weird? Think about what comes to mind when you hear the phrase “watching paint dry.” Probably boredom, perhaps exhaustion. This is what people who experience chronic depression can feel in the midst of a depressive episode. They don’t feel sadness or grief, instead it is like feeling nothing at all. No matter the situation–whether it is a typical day or an experience that would typically cause a highly emotional reaction, when going through a depressive episode it is like an emotional switch has been flipped. Instead of responding as usual, you are just sort of floating through your day, going through the motions without emotionally connecting to what is happening around you. 

Like you’re waking up at 10%: 

Imagine going to sleep and waking up just as tired as you went to bed. This is how depression can feel. If most of us start our day at 100% energy, depression can cause that number to come crashing down. Maybe you have half the amount of energy you usually have, or maybe you only have 10%.  

Like your mind can’t focus on anything: 

Depression also frequently impacts things like concentration. When experiencing depression it can be hard for your mind to latch on to any one thing for an extended period of time. It takes too much mental and emotional energy, so instead of exerting that energy (which you don’t have) your mind just glazes over, which makes it impossible to concentrate. 

Like your mind + body are not in your control: 

You can see from the examples above how you can lose control of your mind in the midst of a depressive episode, it can affect your body just as equally. Depression causes lack of sleep which can lead to increased rates of illness, headaches, digestive problems, and other aches and pains brought on as a direct result of declining mental health. 

Like constantly losing your train of thought: 

Like we covered above, it’s hard for your mind to concentrate when you’re depressed. That can make those experiencing depression 

Emotional and physical flatness

One of the most common descriptions of depression is that it is an overall feeling of numbness, or feeling flat. You feel flat, and detached from everything around you, feeling no emotional impacts of your surroundings, situations, or experiences, and it is hard to enjoy things or people or situations that you typically enjoy

Once you know how depression can affect those who suffer from it, you can make more informed decisions on how to best support them. Check out this post for more tips on how to support a loved one dealing with depression. 

If you’re close with someone who is dealing with depression, it can be hard to know how to help. Remember to be kind and think about the other person’s needs and just hold space where you can. If you need more ideas for support in this area, our clinicians can help you come up with some.