Depression is Nothing Like Sadness

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Abstract

you didn’t.</p><p id="3951">Most people would assume that you didn’t want to go, or you would have. It is impossible, though, to explain how you wanted to go — when you didn’t want to go — unless you are explaining it to someone who understands depression.</p><p id="55e6" type="7">It’s so difficult to describe depression to someone who’s never been there, because it’s not sadness. I know sadness. Sadness is to cry and to feel. But it’s that cold absence of feeling — that really hollowed-out feeling. — J K Rowling</p><p id="919e">People associate depression with sadness. I guess this makes sense because depression can make you sad. And it can be very sad. It looks very sad from the outside, too.</p><p id="cf25">But depression and sadness are not the same things. They aren’t even related. Being depressed doesn’t even mean you’re sad. In my darkest places, I would welcome sadness. In the depths of depression, even sadness begins to look like a long-lost friend.</p><p id="c78e">Sadness is alive. Sadness brings devastation and inspiration. It is accompanied by passion and pain and desire. That’s it. That’s what sadness has that depression does not — desire.</p><p id="59d1">Desire can get things going again. Desire coupled with enthusiasm can bring inspiration. Desire fueled by rage can turn pain into passion. Desire stokes the fires of the soul.</p><p id="6cf2">And depression welcomes nothing alive. Depression loathes desire of any kind — sad or not. Depression is desire snuffed out.</p><p id="631d">Written by <a href="http://hollykellums.org"><b>Holly Kellums</b></a></p><h2 id="3c40">Featured related</h2><div

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Depression is desire snuffed out

Think of the things in life that you really wanted to do. Maybe in high school, it was prom or a special trip. Perhaps, when you got older, it was your wedding day, your graduation, or the day of a certain opportunity. But there are those things that you have awaited — in eager enthusiasm.

I am talking about the things you look forward to so much that you lay in bed at night and fantasize about them. You dream of them, and you look forward to them, sometimes for years.

Whatever your thing is, imagine it comes, and you don’t go.

You dreamt of it for so long. You prepared for it. You bought the perfect dress or outfit, made the perfect dinner reservation, and have everything set up just right. You have looked forward to this day for so long.

But then, the day comes. And you just don’t go.

When the day has passed, you are overtaken with extreme sadness. You have no idea why you didn’t go. All you know is that you didn’t want to. But you wanted to. You wanted to want to. But you didn’t.

Most people would assume that you didn’t want to go, or you would have. It is impossible, though, to explain how you wanted to go — when you didn’t want to go — unless you are explaining it to someone who understands depression.

It’s so difficult to describe depression to someone who’s never been there, because it’s not sadness. I know sadness. Sadness is to cry and to feel. But it’s that cold absence of feeling — that really hollowed-out feeling. — J K Rowling

People associate depression with sadness. I guess this makes sense because depression can make you sad. And it can be very sad. It looks very sad from the outside, too.

But depression and sadness are not the same things. They aren’t even related. Being depressed doesn’t even mean you’re sad. In my darkest places, I would welcome sadness. In the depths of depression, even sadness begins to look like a long-lost friend.

Sadness is alive. Sadness brings devastation and inspiration. It is accompanied by passion and pain and desire. That’s it. That’s what sadness has that depression does not — desire.

Desire can get things going again. Desire coupled with enthusiasm can bring inspiration. Desire fueled by rage can turn pain into passion. Desire stokes the fires of the soul.

And depression welcomes nothing alive. Depression loathes desire of any kind — sad or not. Depression is desire snuffed out.