Something I Saw On Facebook

So I saw this post on Facebook that spoke to me. It said, "Suffering from depression? Just exercise a lot, socialize more, eat better, and do all the other things depression prevents you from doing." The sarcasm in that post was beautiful. Seriously though. People expect a lot of us when we aren't feeling up to doing things that will make us feel better. I know that a lot of the things I post about on here are of that nature (I'm sorry!) because they're things I've tried that have worked for me with my depression. I'm aware that it can still probably seem like "ugh, well you don't know anything." Believe me, I know. There are many aspects of depression that are very individualistic so obviously there isn't some big cure-all. I'm just trying to offer up a few ideas that I've seen work before. Options. Options are good. So I would like to apologize for being "that person" sometimes. I especially hate when people tell me to exercise. I know that it helps because of the few times I've done it. But a good 96% of the time I just can't muster the energy or motivation or anything to do it and end up being a burrito of sadness cocooned in a blanket or two staring blankly at a TV screen when people give me that little nugget of advice. None of this stuff works anyway unless you want it to. Wanting to get better is half the battle. I was actively suicidal (wanting to kill myself) for two years before transitioning to passively suicidal (wanting to die but not wanting to actually end my life) for another two years before getting to just plain depressed (everything feels pointless but I want to live). I wasn't able to move from active to passive until I decided I wanted to live. It took a while to get out of that mindset because I'd been stuck in it for so long but I was able to get out. No matter how deep you are in, it is possible to get out. Just keep trying. No matter what, keep trying until you find things that work for you. You can do this. I believe in you.