An effect of trauma

Depression

Not just sadness. A weight that sits on everything. Getting out of bed feels like climbing a mountain. Things that used to matter do not anymore. The future feels far away or nonexistent. This is not weakness and it is not a choice. It is what happens when a nervous system has been carrying too much for too long.

Depression lies with great authority. It says this is permanent, this is who you are, nothing helps and nobody would notice. Every one of those statements is the weight talking, not the truth. One of the quiet powers of a fellowship is sitting among people who heard the same lies, believed them for years, and watched them turn out to be false.

It can sound like

“I am depressed.” “Getting out of bed feels like too much.” “Nothing feels worth it.” “I used to care about things and now I do not.” “I do not see the point.”

If any of those sentences live in your head too, you are in good company here.

Experiences this often follows

Effects do not come from nowhere. These are some of the experiences that people who carry this one often describe. You do not need to have been through any of them for what you feel to be real.

Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and nothing here decides what is wrong with you, because nothing is wrong with you. Something happened to you. This page exists so that when you are ready, you can find people who understand it from the inside.

You do not have to carry this alone.

Bridge of Hope Recovery is a free, anonymous, peer-led fellowship for trauma survivors. Meetings run throughout the week by phone, by video, and in person. No cost, no waitlist, no one asking for your real name.

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