Beyond the Smile: The Dark Reality of Depression
Depression is real in this generation, people are quick to judge and this is why most people find it so hard to share what they are going through, thinking about all these unworthy situations can make someone depressed. Depression is never a friend of the body, depression can lead to low self-esteem and suicide, stigmatized, and the like
One of my friends was once a victim of depression and she nearly took her life, she is someone who is very hardworking and focused, she always has plans for her life but her plans were disrupted because of a little mistake she made by falling in love with a wrong person.
She fell in love with this humble and down-to-earth guy, we didn't know that the guy an interior motives towards her, we all liked the guy because he was so humble and friendly, their relationship began to bloom and they were love birds and people were jealous of their relationship, not too long this guy was giving visa to travel abroad but before he left he engaged my friend and did the proper introduction where the two families get to know each other, at this point, every one was fulfilled that the guy has already done the necessary things and no cause for alarm.
This lady sponsored this guy with his ticket money and other stuff, she spent all her savings because she believed that she was helping their relationship to grow, the guy promised her heaven and earth that he would never disappoint her and she would never regret spending all her savings on him.
The guy traveled out of the country and everything turned sour, after some months he began to show attitude, he no longer picks the lady's calls, and if he eventually picked up the calls he would give silly excuses, the lady began to suspend that something was fishy but there is no how she will communicate to him since he wasn't picking his calls anymore.
One fateful day this guy sent her a heartbreaking message that she should move on with her life because he had another lady to whom he would soon get married, she was shocked when this guy messaged her on WhatsApp, and after the message, he blocked the lady, this situation was bitter for her because she felt like her world was crashing, when I heard everything that happened I quickly rushed to her house just to comfort her and stay with her for some time in other to save her from depression but it was all lies.
Giving the guy all her savings was what pained her because her house rent was about to expire and she needed to renew it, she had nothing and started to beg people for , she would always cry and have sleepless nights, I was happy to be there and she confided in me as a friend, she didn't tell any of her family members about giving her life savings and also sold some of her properties just for the guy to travel.
She would always sigh at intervals and this always got me, she decided to end her life when the frustration was too much for her to handle, she lost her job and that was the height of it, she lost the job due to the hardship the country was facing and the boss relieved some of the staff's because he was unable to pay them and everything happened when the guy messaged her.
I felt for her and I had to be there in other to save her life, I know she is very weak when it comes to matters of love, and coupled with her losing her job and needing to renew her house rent, she was depressed and already giving up on herself but with constant smiling around her and never judge her make her come back to normal because I sense that if she is the only one she can commit suicide.
Depression is not a thing to handle with levity hand, let us encourage and stand by anyone who is going through a tough and rough time, let's learn not to be the judge of their lives, depression is real and most people are going through such situations as we speak.
Also, people should learn how to speak up whenever they are going through hard times, giving up is not the solution to every problem we are facing, a little smile can change every bitter story.
This is my response to day 6 of inleo prompt #octoberinleo if you wish to join this prompt then you are at the right place just click the link
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
Disclaimer:
My English isn't the best, so I took my original thoughts and fed them to ChatGPT to make sure the response came out clear, assertive, and structured in a way that gets the message across properly. I wanted to express how strongly I feel about this topic, but I know my own words might not have conveyed it as well. I even asked ChatGPT to tailor my opinion in the style of Jordan Peterson to make the points sharper and more direct, because I wanted the response to really hit home.
Frankly, this post is a shallow insult to anyone grappling with the crushing weight of real depression. You seem to mistake it for something as simple as a rough patch, or a series of unfortunate events, when in fact, depression is a profound, all-encompassing mental illness that dismantles lives piece by piece. It’s not something remedied with a ‘smile’ or by merely avoiding judgment. That’s beyond naive—it’s dangerous.
As for your friend’s situation, let’s not beat around the bush here. She made a series of catastrophically poor decisions. She threw her life savings at a man she barely knew in the hopes of some fairy tale ending. That’s not ‘bad luck’; that’s irresponsible, and frankly, it’s insulting to conflate the consequences of poor judgment with a genuine mental health crisis. Depression is far more than the sadness caused by a selfish, short-sighted relationship—it's an existential crisis that consumes the mind and body.
The most appalling part of this post is how it diminishes the real suffering of those facing true depression. You reduce a crippling, life-threatening condition to something that can be overcome by "smiling" more and "not judging" others. Do you have any idea how misguided, how damaging that is? This kind of shallow, feel-good rhetoric doesn’t just fail to help; it isolates the people who are suffering the most. You’ve managed to trivialize one of the most serious mental health issues, all while patting yourself on the back for it.
Before you write another word on depression, I’d suggest you actually take the time to educate yourself. Maybe instead of using buzzwords and chasing likes, you could try understanding what you're talking about. This isn’t just sloppy—it’s reckless, and it does more harm than good.
Peace
Trippy OUT!