I’m Just Tired

  

   “I just didn’t sleep well last night”

 

   “I’m just stressed”

 

   “I’m just not feeling very well”

 

   “I’m just… 

                       tired.”

 

   In reality I wanted to say “I’m just sick! I’m sick!” 

 

   Can’t you see I’m sick? Sure, I wasn’t running a fever. And I didn’t require stitches or a cast. No blood was spilled, and there were no bruises. 

 

   But I was sick. 

 

   The effects of depression take on multiple forms: procrastination, isolation, self deprecation, anger, exhaustion. No two cases are alike and the signs aren’t always as clear for one as they may be another. And there lies the issue with how society views depression. In regards to any mental illness, people are quick to assume that the “mental” part of it makes it less valid. They attribute these traits to laziness or some other controllable ability. 

 

   But this is an illness, and like any other it can impact anyone. Those who have been affected are not weaker or less than because of it. 

 

   Here lies the second issue with societal perception of depression – who is susceptible to it? 

 

   The answer is everybody. 

 

   Yet, people assume that if you are generally a happy person, you do well in school, or if you come from a stable home you are not depressed. These claims hold no value other than in making those struggling feel more isolated and guilty for experiencing depression. 

 

   Mental illnesses don’t care about you. They don’t care about who you are, where you come from, what your goals are, and what your life is like. 

 

   It takes so much for people to recognize depression as what it is – an illness that deserves the same amount of understanding and care as any other health crisis. 

 

   Instead, the stigmas surrounding it make it so that those who are struggling feel like they are dealing with it alone. They feel like criminals or inherently bad. 

 

   I have healed. I’ve healed through my family and friends. Through the support of my teachers and those that I love and that love me back. 

 

   But others are not so lucky. Sometimes when you’re sick you just want someone to recognize that you are. That you’re not crazy. That your feelings are valid. 

 

    You want someone to say, “I know you’re sick. But I’m on your side. I’m going to watch you get better.” 

 

   Depression is a mental illness. 

 

   An illness. 

 

  And like so many others there is no cure. 

 

  But there is healing. There is forgiveness. There is hope. 

 

   If you or someone you know is struggling please contact:

 

   https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 

 

    Or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255