The lies depression tells.

Depression lies to you. 

When you’re depressed, you see the world through a filter. And that filter doesn’t let a lot of light in. 

That filter makes things seem true that are not. 

Depression has an array of lies it tries to tell you. 

“You are worthless.” 

It’s a lie. You may FEEL worthless; but our worth is not determined by how we feel. 

Many people have faulty ideas for what makes someone “worthy” in the first place. They believe that accomplishment or the love of others makes someone “worthy.” If that was true, then rich and famous people would be somehow more “worthy” than non rich and famous people— but that’s obviously not true. 

“Nobody loves you.” 

It’s a lie. Your depression is not keeping track of who loves you and who does not. 

It wants you to believe that nobody loves you, because it knows you are insecure about your lovability (possibly because of your beliefs about what makes someone worthy— see above). 

“You don’t matter.” 

It’s a lie. Your depression does not get to determine whether your life, your feelings, or your behavior matters to anyone else. 

I assure you, you matter to someone. I can also assure you that when you’re depressed, you have a tremendously difficult time believing you matter. But that doesn’t make it true. 

“Things will never get better.” 

It’s a lie. Your depression doesn’t know if things will get better. 

You cannot tell the future, and your depression ABSOLUTELY cannot tell the future. 

“Everybody hates me.” 

It’s a lie. Just like your depression cannot tell the future, your depression cannot read others’ minds. 

Your depression wants you to THINK that other people dislike or hate you, because it knows that is a tremendously effective way to keep you depressed. 

You may start to notice a pattern here: your depression is making this up as it goes along. 

There’s no truth to any of it. 

But your depression is very, very good at making you THINK there’s truth to it. It knows you’re in a vulnerable spot, and it knows it doesn’t have to work very hard to make its lies seem very plausible to you when you’re in that spot. 

Depression is a bully. 

Depression is a coward. 

Depression is a liar. 

Depression comes disguised as a familiar old blanket, that may be a little coarse, but c’mon, at least it’s a known quantity, right? 

Depression comes disguised as a friend, a friend who really knows you well, a friend who knows the TRUTH about you, a friend who will tell it to you straight. 

It is none of those things. 

Depression doesn’t know you. 

All it knows about you are your vulnerabilities and your insecurities. Which it wishes to exploit. 

Friends don’t do that. Bullies do that. Abusers do that. 

Don’t let depression lie to you. 

 

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