The other day I was talking to my boyfriend about depression; about how hard it is to pull yourself out of it, but that you’re always fighting. He gave me a look and said, “You don’t seem like you’re fighting when you’re in bed.”
He didn’t mean it the way it sounds. We all know the problem with explaining emotional and mental illnesses is that it’s all internal. People don’t see the struggle, so they assume it’s not really there. So, I came up with an analogy that I think might explain a bit better:
Imagine a tiny, 90lb nerd with glasses standing on a professional football field. He’s looking around, minding his own business, when WHAM! A four-hundred-pound linebacker SLAMS into him, crushing that nerd into the ground. And then the linebacker, finding the ground slightly more cushy than usual, decides to take a nap.
The nerd can’t breathe. Can’t move, save for his flailing arms at either side. He hits the linebacker, pushes at him, tries to scream, but only chokes. He’s stuck, and no amount of fighting can alert the sleeping bear to his turmoil.
Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the linebacker awakens and sits up to discover the crushed little man beneath him. “Sorry man, I didn’t see you there. My bad. You alright?”
“Yeah. I’m alright.”
