Thanks for this. Because depression has been talked about for so long as something chemically different and distinct from “just the blues,” I’ve never felt like I could use the “D word” to describe my own mental state. Somehow it felt like trespassing, or as if I were insulting those who had “real” depression. It’s nice to know that I can describe myself as depressed when that’s precisely what my mental state feels like, even though I know it’s transitory. It’s still miserable while it lasts, but it’s also liberating to think of depressive feelings as being on a continuum rather than a condition that you either have or don’t have, forever.
Thanks for this. Because depression has been talked about for so long as something chemically different and distinct from “just the blues,” I’ve never felt like I could use the “D word” to describe my own mental state. Somehow it felt like trespassing, or as if I were insulting those who had “real” depression. It’s nice to know that I can describe myself as depressed when that’s precisely what my mental state feels like, even though I know it’s transitory. It’s still miserable while it lasts, but it’s also liberating to think of depressive feelings as being on a continuum rather than a condition that you either have or don’t have, forever.