Have you ever had those moments when something you see or read slaps you right in the face? That happened to me the other day. The video was essentially a woman showing the difference between how she acts at home and how she acts when she’s in front of others. The context was her being depressed while alone and how she completely masks it when she’s in front of others. Watching it absolutely broke my heart, because I immediately saw me in that video.
I’m a hider–or maybe just a coward–when it comes to my true emotions, because who wants to admit that they’re struggling so hard? It’s way easier to make blanket statements like “I have anxiety” or “yeah, I suffer from depression,” but beyond those phrases, I don’t let people in to see what that looks like. It’s a hard reality to face. So let’s take a moment to be brave together. Here is my confession: my depression has gotten so bad lately that I’ve not only lost weight, I can’t sleep longer than three hours at a time and I make up excuses as to why I can’t even text people back.
I don’t share this to make you pity me, or anything like that, I share this because I want you to know that you’re not alone. No matter how ugly it actually is, I don’t want you to hide, because it’s lonely. And if I’m being super honest, it’s because I don’t want to hide anymore either because it’s tiring. Jesus didn’t create us to deal with these things alone, He created us to live in community. So, why is it so hard? I’m not sure, but it is. But practicing being brave together might just make it easier. So let’s try a little harder to be brave when we don’t want to be. You’re worth that effort. And remember, you’re definitely not alone.