It feels good. It feels REAL good. People who don't have the illness called depression simply cannot understand this. How wonderful it is to be able to get up and brush your teeth without having to think about it. To bathe and get dressed and make breakfast. To enjoy that breakfast. To have the energy to wash the dishes. To remember to take your medicines on time. To be able to walk out of the house and take a walk without taking an hour to build up the courage to open the front door. To have the enthusiasm to call up a friend and say hello.To go to bed, shut your eyes, and simply fall asleep.
Before I go any further, I have to say this, because I know it's going to happen, and I know how much it will irritate me. Some of you are going to feel compelled to post comments telling me how to overcome depression. You're going to suggest prayer, healthy habits like the right food, a good amount of sleep, and exercise. You're going to tell me it's all in my mind. And that I should call you whenever I need because you're always there for me. You're going to tell me how bad my medication is, and how you hope I'll come off it soon, or how you hope I'll be cured soon.
Try to resist doing any of the above. None of those statements are helpful, useful or supportive to anyone in the middle of a depressive episode. Some of them are just plain wrong. All of them are things I've heard far too often, and all they do for me is, apart from the irritation, is to humiliate me and insult my intelligence.
People use the word "depressed" too easily. "I'm depressed," they moan, when they're bored, tired, disappointed or sad. Depression is none of these things. Depression is
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