Depression is always underestimated in our daily life. We have started using this term very often and have started treating it very lightly. Whenever we feel sad or think that we aren’t able to do something, we easily term that phase depression. But is it all? Is depression all about being sad? NO. Depression is a big term that must be understood. Let me quote a famous writer here, “People think depression is sadness, crying or dressing in black. But people are wrong. Depression is the constant feeling of being numb. You wake up in the morning just to go back to bed again.” We agree to every word to his. People need to basically understand the difference between being sad and actually being depressed.
We generally have a soft heart towards a person who is facing depression. No matter how sympathetic we may become towards that person we can never understand the phase the person is actually going through until and unless we ourselves have gone through it at some point in our lives. Some people trivialize depression (often unintentionally) by dropping a cliché on a depressed person as if that is the one thing they needed to hear. But it is not so. We have always been supportive from our end, we have always tried our best to sympathise the person suffering from depression and help him move on from that phase. But what we don’t realise is that we often tend to hurt that person’s feeling (unintentionally). We try to cheer that person by some motivates lines but that is absolutely not the person wants. So today let us first tell you some very general sympathetic and motivational statements that we usually say to a person in depression but we must NOT say.
Here are 10 things you shouldn’t say to a person suffering from depression:
- “Think about people who are going through such similar issues. They don’t sit and cry.”
- “Just look at yourself. You deserve better than this. You have no reason to stay depressed.”
- “Stop behaving like that, it’s just a phase of your life. Come-on now, cheer up.”
- “Do meditation, or try some different medication. Take some medicines and you will all fine.”
- “Think of something else. Don’t think about this. Let us not discuss this right now.”
- “Stop being so sensitive. There’s much to do. You need to .stand up for yourself and be strong.”
- “Getting upset and sad are phases of life. Everyone goes through it. You’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
- “There is actually nothing like that. This depression thing is just all in your head.”
- “Why don’t you talk to your friends? Socialize as much as possible. You will definitely feel better.”
- “Switch your job. You’ll get to know more people and you’ll be able to forget the past. You will be ‘you’ once again”
NO. These aren’t the things that are going to help your friend/known help move out of depression. All you need to do is, sit with that person, let him cry it out and just calmly listen to what he has to express and just ask if there’s any way you can help them out.
