“We think we have to be superheroes to be successful. But sometimes, strength looks like saying, ‘I’m not okay.’” — Misty Copeland

You slowly wake up, and your alarm has been buzzing for ten minutes. As you blink at the light creeping through your blinds, you feel a familiar weight pressing on your chest. This isn’t just a feeling of exhaustion, but a heaviness. This feels like a struggle with gravity to get up.

Maybe it’s Monday again. Maybe it’s the start of another month. Either way, thoughts are flooding into your mind- “Today, I’ll catch up on emails”. “This time, I’m getting back in the gym”. “Let me reach out and catch up with my friends, I know it’s been so long”.

It’s deafening. So you hit snooze again.

Does this sound like you, or something you’ve ever experienced?

How would you describe depression to someone?

You might say that it’s like having a dark cloud following you, even on sunny days. Maybe you’d mention how heavy depression can feel, like a bag on your back you can’t take off. It wouldn’t be wrong to describe it as deep sadness that you just can’t shake.

Depression is truly more than just “feeling sad”. Sadness can be an experience one has during a period of depression.

Depression negatively impacts your quality of life.

Depression contributes to the breakdown of relationships.

Depression can slow you down, or completely impede your ability to make progress with your goals.

Depression can happen to anyone — even high-achieving, motivated individuals. The symptoms often spill into daily life:

At work, focus and productivity decline, increasing stress and self-doubt.
In relationships, isolation and irritability replace connection.
At home, tasks pile up, routines break down, and self-care feels unreachable.

This combination can quietly erode confidence and joy, creating a sense of being “stuck.”

Depression has neurological, psychological, and physical impacts.

Neurologically, it alters brain chemistry, disrupting how serotonin and dopamine regulate mood and motivation.

Psychologically, it distorts thinking patterns and heightens self-criticism.

Physically, it drains energy, disturbs sleep, and triggers chronic pain or fatigue.

If this feels like your story, don’t hesitate to schedule a free consultation with me, a licensed mental health counselor, to see if you’d benefit from treatment for depression.

Depression is a serious condition that’s more than just feeling sad. Leaving depression untreated can result in grave consequences such as becoming stagnant in your life, losing important relationships, and engaging in self-destructive behaviors.

I hope that you found this helpful! Share this with someone that could use a nudge to start focusing on their mental health today!