Depression | Teen Ink

Depression

May 2, 2022
By aquaticfireflies SILVER, Florence, Alabama
aquaticfireflies SILVER, Florence, Alabama
6 articles 0 photos 2 comments

A pit in the depths of an ocean

Suffocating, stressed, scared.

You sink deeper into the indeterminable

depth of despair. Boxed in without

an exit in sight drown or struggle,

try or give up. Trying to escape

drowning goes one of two ways.

Struggling causes sadness and

depression yet you can try to

Escape your fate. Sink or float? If

You give in and allow the dark in, you

Lose the pain of disappointment.

                                                                Then you gain the inner feeling of

Emptiness: no longer enraged,

engaged, or hoping to be saved. You

allow yourself to sink further you

become an empty shell: a cave with

the struggles of life filling your

beaten-down body. Barely being

functional you sink further trying

to accept being broken. Degrading

yourself, your ideas, and feelings.

Giving up is allowing yourself to drown,

deluding yourself. No one can truly

accept their drowning. Acceptance and

avoidance are very different.  If you

continue to fight from the dark bone-chilling waters of life searching for air

: then allowing yourself help when you

need it. That is acceptance. Now

avoidance is a dark and twisted thing.

When they are drowning the avoiders

believe they can’t escape so they let life

suffocate them. Declining help due to the

sick feeling they get telling them they are fine.

This will only cause greater pain in the

end when you look up barely seeing hints

of the light you once had as you realize

you’ve sunk too far to be saved. That is the

difficult reality of life you can be floating

above the water carefree. Though one

wave, one life-crushing, a wild wave can

kill someone. Since many believe things

will only get worse if they survive that

wave. Many think giving up on one

challenge is unimaginable even if they at times

are just stalling their death. There are many

waves in life that will nearly drown you

And though I will not lie to you the struggle

for air will feel devoid of meaning and

without the sweet escape of death

you will suffer. Wait, struggle, suffer.

 The feeling of finally catching your breath

is of bliss and relief. The sight of the sun

and happy faces will no longer fill you

with disdain instead, you will focus on the

scent of salt and the warm breeze on

your face. That is joy. The sound of the rushing

water continuing on and the laughter of

those that escaped its grips and those who

 have not yet felt it. That is joy. It may take years

but if you wait and imagine the sweet

release of pain you will be thankful you

went through the days or years of emptiness.


The author's comments:

Constantly I compared the ocean to life and its challenges, the process of nearly drowning to depression, suicide to drowning, a cave to the empty feeling often accompanied by depression, and then the sun to relief or joy. I hope it evokes an emotional response and I hope it gives readers who struggle with depression deeper insight into their situation to steer them away from suicide in hopes of once again being joyful.


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