Mum's simple 'this is what depression looks like' photo makes powerful point about mental health
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There are some popular misconceptions about depression.
Depression isn't necessarily feeling sad, or blue, or constantly being in tears. Nor is the person living with it always dishevelled and messy and holed up in their bedroom all the time.
Depression manifests itself in many ways, and doesn't need to be triggered by an event.
Mum and writer of The Relatable Mom , Brittany Ernsperger, lives with depression and anxiety.
A photo she recently shared highlights how depression can take the most innocuous and simple forms.
"This is what depression looks like."
Brittany's Facebook post shows a pile of washed dishes drying on the side.
But it's not the fact that the dishes have been cleaned. It's the fact that they built up over the course of two weeks which shows of depression creeps in to every day life.
"Three days ago I sat on the kitchen floor and stared at them while I cried. I knew they needed to be done. I wanted to do them so bad.
"But depression pulled me under. It sucked me in. Like a black hole. Rapidly, sinking quick-sand."
"I walked by them morning and night and all day long. And just looked at them. Telling myself that I could do them. Telling myself that I would.
"And feeling defeated everyday that I didn't. Making the depression only that much worse because not accomplishing something that needs to be done is failure.
"Worthless. Failure. Piece of s**t. Incompetent. Stupid. Lazy.
"All things that roll through the mind of someone with depression. All. Day. Long."
In her heartrending post, Brittany also describes the fear she lives with that her husband will leave her, the fact she feels like she's failing her kids and she's worried about that people will think when you let them in your home.
She finishes with an important message.
"I don’t even care if the only thing you did today, was put deodorant on. I’m proud of you for it. Good job. I’m in your corner. I'm on your side."
Brittany's words have struck a chord with other mums in particular.
"Perfect words for several of us!!" read one of the hundreds of comments on the post.