5 Reasons Why Your Listicle Won’t Cure My Depression

I know my depression well; we’ve been together a long time. It’s been almost twenty years since it hospitalized me, and I struggled with it for an eternity before that. It’s been a big part of my life, and, at times, the only thing in my life.

I feel confident saying, then, that I don’t think the key to combating my depression can be outlined in five easy steps. Here’s why:

1. I’m Not One Enjoyable Walk on the Beach Away From Mental Health

Clinical depression is a powerful and complex condition. It’s not the same as feeling a little down. Some days I can barely move or speak, so a 5-mile run seems as unrealistic as it does unappealing. Puppies are good for a chuckle and a beautiful springtime dawn is well worth appreciating, but they don’t even register compared to the constant torrent of despair inside my head.

There are simple pleasures in the world that do put a smile on my face, and I’m always grateful for them, but focusing on them simply isn’t a sufficient strategy for combating my depression.

2. I’ve Probably Already Tried What The Listicle is Suggesting

Depression is often characterized by desperation, and that means that those of us who suffer from it have usually put a lot of time and effort into combating it long before we have mentioned it to anyone or even acknowledged it ourselves.