The Smiling Mask: Beyond The Surface

Depression is real. First off, it is important for people to understand that there's a difference between depression and being sad. Although parallels can be drawn between them, they are two distinct concepts. Just because you are sad doesn't mean you are experiencing depression. Depression is quite a strong experience. Sadness is an emotion we feel when things don’t go our way. It's a normal emotion we feel from time to time. One big difference between depression and sadness is that the latter is temporary, it fades away easily. Maybe not easily, but you get my point, right?

Depression on the other hand is a totally different concept. It is more like an “upgraded version” of being sad. Depression is a mental condition that goes beyond the confines of being sad. Usually, a depressed person experiences extreme sadness and hopelessness. Movies can be highly deceptive, they often present an untrue, tampered, and romanticized version of reality. They can give us false information about people, love, and life in general. Of course, movies may be entertaining, but it is up to us to determine where to draw the line. We have to understand that they are not always accurate. Remember that most of them are fictional- made up.

Movies often present depression in an unreal and oversimplified way. In movies, we see depressed characters sad or crying. However, in reality, it goes beyond that. The reality of depression is much more complex. Most times, depressed people hide their feelings. They wear fake smiles on their faces to mask their true feelings. This is why it is difficult to identify depressed people. A few days ago, I watched a reel on Instagram. The reel highlights the truth about depression- that it is not always easy to see even to our closest friends. In the reel, there are two men who always attend football matches; One of them is always smiling, while the other is always silent. To my shock, the man who was always smiling took his own life because of his hidden battle with depression. The man who was always sad never saw it coming because his friend always wore a smile on his face.

There are cases where I have been extremely sad, but luckily for me, I have never experienced depression. I don't want to give off the impression that my life has been going smoothly. Of course, I have been through ups and downs. Although life is beautiful, we are bound to experience ups and downs. There are levels to this thing called sadness. I can’t relate to the state of being depressed because I have never experienced it. Also, none of my close friends have ever experienced depression or it is also possible that they have and I didn't notice. Sometimes people are really good at hiding their true feelings, even from those closest to them. Just last week, I got to know one of my departmental mates experienced depression to the extent that he took his own life.

Although I wasn't his friend. I didn't know him personally. I don’t think I have ever met him. According to his departmental mates, he was always cheerful. He was the most cheerful person in his class. No one knew he was fighting wars.

In conclusion, it is very important to check up on our friends because we never know what battles they may be fighting. Sometimes, people put on fake smiles to hide their true feelings. Reach out to them and let them know that you are there for them. You never know how far a message or call can go in saving someone’s life. Make a difference today.

Thanks for reading.