What makes depression so scary is not the sadness

We have all been sad. Everyone gets sad sometimes. Things happen that can cause massive sadness. The death of a loved one. Losing a job. Heartbreak. A fight with someone you care about. Your career not going as well as you want it to. There are many reasons people experience sadness and they do it all the time. It’s part of being alive.

But here’s the thing that is so different about depression: Not only can it come out of nowhere, without a reason or forewarning, it also comes with another unique quality that is not present in normal, “justified” sadness and makes it so much worse, most likely the worst emotional state you can find yourself in.

The ugliest symptom of depression is hopelessness. Knowing that there is no future for you. That there is absolutely nothing to live for. No hope that it will ever get better and nothing to look forward to.

I’d deal with all the sadness if I could just have a tiny bit of hope for a future. But being in this dark place whilst also knowing that there is nothing to look forward to is what makes this disease so deadly.

And I know it must be hard to understand for anyone who hasn’t personally experienced it…