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What 'Bad Days' Look Like When You Have Depression

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If you are around someone who has depression, you have most likely heard about “bad days.” These are days harder to get through than others based on a circumstance or feeling. When most people think about a bad day they think about someone who can’t leave their room or is constantly in tears. While this is how some people function, the majority of people are harder to read. So what does a bad day look and feel like?

A bad day can be just like any other day. You wake up, get ready and hope for the best. The motions of your day are often the same as any other, but in your mind there is one major difference. Sometimes this difference is triggered but it also hits unexpectedly. Your mind just goes to a place of extreme sadness. Suddenly all you can think about is your pain. Its almost as if all of the light is sucked out of the world and you are left all alone.

Though these thoughts can consume a person, they usually aren’t obvious to others. To them it can look like boredom or exhaustion. The person can smile and laugh, like any other day but something is harder. Something inside feels broken or forced. To the person it can feel like a crushing weight has been dropped on your chest and even though you know it will be OK, your heart starts beating, your stomach starts tingling and your mind goes into shut down mode.

The only thing you want to do is sleep and make it all go away. A break. A time when your mind doesn’t feel like a vortex of confusion and frustration.

Honestly the only thing the outside world can do is hold your hand and help you through. A day is 24 hours and more often than not, the morning brings a fresh start. The problems of yesterday don’t go away but a new day is a blank slate and a fresh start.

If you or someone you know needs help, visit our suicide prevention resources page.

If you need support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text “START” to 741-741.

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Thinkstock photo via Grandfailure.

Originally published: March 3, 2017
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