Depression can make you feel like darkness is taking over you, changing you inside and out. The happy-go-lucky person, who always has a smile on, is replaced by a version of yourself who sees the darkest aspects of life. It can change your whole personality and make you feel hopeless. Down below is a poem I wrote when I was feeling profoundly depressed. It’s not a happy poem, but it is a poem about how I felt at that moment and an inside look at what depression can feel like.
Taken Over
I can feel the depression on my skin
It takes hold of me
And the process of hopelessness taking over begins
Long sleepless nights
Leave dark bruises under my eyes
This sadness is no longer just inside
You can tell by the way I walk
You can tell by the way I talk
The depression is slowly consuming me
Taking every part of me until I am nothing but empty
This darkness spreads like an incurable disease
There is no fixing me
So, I shall bleed
The pain is what keeps me from the empty feeling inside
Though I fear I have already died
I am no longer me
Depression has finally taken over, can’t you see
Surprisingly, I felt better after writing about how I felt. Having a creative outlet can help you in many ways, from feeling better to building a creative portfolio, which you can share with the world, to help others overcome their own depression.
Feeling lost and hopeless is one of the worst feelings out there, being able to help someone overcome those feelings is a beautiful gift. The world needs more people helping each other overcome hardship, rather than suppressing feelings and ignoring those clearly in distress.
Growing up, I was not taught how to manage my emotions. I turned to self-harm in my teenage years, along with overeating, to ease the pain inside. For a long time, I was an unstable adult who managed my emotions poorly and became stuck in a cycle of depression.
After having a child, I decided it was time to learn how to manage my feelings so I could teach my son how to express his feelings in a more positive manner. Personally, I believe many children are not taught how to manage emotions, which is why there are so many adults with negative outlets when it comes to anger, depression, and fear.
Numerous people turn to drugs, self-harm, overeating, and other negative outlets to avoid painful emotions. I believe if there were classes dedicated to managing emotions in every school, we would be able to build a better future for the upcoming generations. A future where there are less destructive outlets. Therefore, a decrease in violence, drugs, and prescriptions for things like bipolar and depression.
As you can see, creative outlets have numerous positive benefits, like helping others overcome their own personal demons and helping you take better control of your life. Being able to control your emotions is vital to your mental health.
Once you are in complete control over your feelings, you can overcome anything. So, the next time a wave of depression or anger washes over you try to find a creative way to let it out, and you will be glad you did.
Yes, yes, the power of a creative outlet! Thank you, Crystal.
Thank you as well 🙂
Excellent and insightful. Thank you.
Thank you 🙂
I understood very well… especially the self-harming aspect too, and how that comes into it all…
You are good at expressing this, and I use my blog to do the same thing too…it does help…
Blogging has been so helpful with just getting the jumbled-up thoughts out. It really is an amazing outlet. I also wanted to say, I really enjoy your poetry as well, and look forward to reading your future posts 🙂
Thank you so much for saying. I really don’t think a lot of my own poetry… I just kinda get it out, however it comes, but it does really help.
🙂