Happy 2018 – Day 153 – Depression with a happy face is still depression

Jay Shetty has some great clips on his YouTube channel and I when I saw this one yesterday, I thought it was too good not to share. It tells the story of a young girl, living out her fabulous life on social media, while struggling with depression and loneliness in reality. It’s less than 5 minutes long and definitely worth the watch:

The lines that struck me personally the most were:

People think that depression is sadness.

People think that depression is crying.

People think depression is being quiet.

Depression is when we smile, but we want to cry.

It’s when we talk, but we want to be quiet.

It’s when we pretend like we’re happy, but we’re not.

To me, depression can be all of these things. It doesn’t look the same in each person. And within the life of one person, it can take on many forms. But it’s certainly true in my experience that depression isn’t always obvious.

Sometimes the loudest, funniest and most seemingly confident people only act that way because they’re deeply afraid of the silence and that time alone with their thoughts.

Sometimes those online with the most followers or likes; the most glamorous pictures; the best stories to tell; are actually unhappiest and loneliest of all. Sometimes, people have to distract themselves with their social media life story, because in reality, they don’t feel that their real one is good enough.

It’s all too easy to fake a happy face; a happy relationship; a happy life.

But you won’t know who or how someone really is, unless you ask them, face to face.

Just because someone looks happy on Facebook, don’t assume that they are. People with mental health problems are often masters in acting like they’re OK, or better than OK.

But depression with a happy face is still depression.

And depression with a happy face still needs friends to help and support and be there.