poetry about depression

Spoken Word Poetry

Words 

It’s not that I don’t want to be happy it’s that despite my best efforts I can’t bring myself to be happy.

I feel suffocated, embarrassed, ashamed, 
Why did I have to be this way.
I have a great family, amazing friends, good academic results - on paper everything is okay
Yet all I ever seem to see is sadness and grey

It’s like there’s a constant burden on you pulling you to the ground 
and however hard you try you can’t bring yourself out
You can’t bring yourself to care - about anything - not me, not him, not her 
Living has become the constant nightmare. 
And it’s just not fair.

Society will tell you to try yoga, go for a walk, listen to meditation.
I tell them that this cannot be solved by exercise or medication.
It’s a disease that affects every aspect of my life, - my relationships, my work, my education.
And even to this day despite my best efforts to explain - 
I am met with blind hesitation.

They ask me why are you always sad, I tell them I don’t know…I don’t know
What I do know is that I wake up everyday feeling like absolutely shit - and that that’s become my norm.
I’m afraid of the outside world, afraid of putting my guard down in the fear that I will be judged for something that I cannot control
Where’s the fairness of it all?
Do you think I enjoy to watch myself fall?
Into this hole of self hate, shame and loathe
So I just hide and put up a wall
That’s so high, you will never see my pain or any of my flaws - I create this character and she is perfect, she’s invincible. 

And so I live these two different lives, one for the public and one just for me late at night 
Cos that’s easier than admitting you have a problem - and that’s the problem.
The stigma is real people
And it will not go away until we realise that mental health IS a big deal.
It’s a hidden disease thats affecting so many lives, wake up and listen to the silent cries
It’s the kid that never speaks or the guy who’s always tired, 
The lady who’s too emotional or that man who just got fired 
cos he was absent a lot - he couldn’t get out of bed due to his mental health 
but do you think any of his colleagues knew that - course not.

Depression is the hell inside of me and it eats me up daily.