How to tell someone you're depressed without saying it?

When a person is depressed, there are a few tell-tale signs that one can look out for; even when it has not been verbally confirmed that they are. Some of these signs include being withdrawn from society and family. How you converse; if your words are heavily negative or if they sound weak or slow in response, it could be noticed. Mood swings can be shown as well; a change in mood can indicate an imbalance of emotional state and if this is noticed, it can be understood that you're going through a tough time. In general, a depressed individual would pose a negative outlook on life through their words, behaviour, mood and cognitive functions. If you find yourself going through these symptoms/signs and/or more, please take care of yourself and remember, how you feel is valid and what you are going through is important for people to know. So please don't be afraid to let them know about your situation, if you can.

I think maybe just tell them that you’ve not been feeling yourself lately, maybe give hints about how your feeling and how this effects your daily life. Explaining depression is a hard thing to do, so maybe trying breaking it down into smaller parts, like maybe just starting with how long you’ve felt this way, or maybe how you want them to help you. I also think you should tell that your close to and think will understand and better be able to support you, by doing this you can establish a first conversation and then work it out from there.

I have found that telling someone how you feel tends to been more effective than telling someone what your diagnosis is or what you think it is. This of course assumes that you don’t I have an actual diagnosis yet. For instance, instead of saying “I have depression” or “I think I have depression” you can say “I feel down, lonely, worthless, etc. a lot of the time and it has been getting in the way of the things I enjoy.” I like to focus on the things that we know are true, like how we feel and things that have happened rather than what we think about those facts, because opinions can differ wildly especially when it comes to mental health.

I can say I have low energy and I have been unmotivated. Even after taking break, I feel like I am exhausted. I feel like I have been trying to solve this problem for long without much progress. Shopping used to make me happy but not anymore. Even eating cheese cake doe not do much. It used to make me happy. I just want to be happy like everyone around me. It looks like their life has been easier than mine. It feels like things come to them easily. I work harder than them but still I am not as successful as they are.

I can really hear you want to be open about your depression to someone but do not know how to go by the process of opening up. You want to share what's on your mind but at the same time you want to protect your own boundaries. If you find yourself being completely open about your depression you may have this inner worry that you will be asked lots of questions and feel that others will be negatively affected by the details you share. There can be reluctance in sharing something personal to you. It's really important to share something sensitive like this to the right person. This person ideally should be trustworthy, non-judgmental and supportive. Sharing what you feel involves being selective in finding the right moment to share. You may want to express your symptoms rather than using the word "depression." Hints you may provide to someone can be reflective of your experience by using statements such as "I haven't been feeling like myself lately', 'My energy feels drained most of the time', 'I struggle with everyday tasks these days' or even 'I feel lonely and disconnected'. If wanting further support I encourage you to communicate with one of our listeners or online therapists who have lived experience or specialize in depression. Depression can sometimes contribute to suicidal thoughts too so if you are feeling this symptom please ask to receive a crisis resource from a listener on our site. Self-help guides and mindfulness guides are available too on our site. I wish you the best of luck in how you approach the subject of depression! Take care!

I feel so low, it's like I'm drowning and I can't make it above the water. I feel like I can't breathe. I want someone to save me but they never come. I don't feel like myself anymore. I am a shadow of my former self. I feel like I am watching myself as if it were a movie. I want to feel free I don't want to feel this pain anymore. I feel like I keep falling farther and farther. There is a darkness in my mind that I truly do not understand. I feel like I am so alone

Hii friend I have been sleeping a lot lately, over 16 hours a day, but the weird thing is, I still am always tired. I feel emotionally drained, sometimes I want to cry but I'm unable to, other times I cry for hours. I have been stressing over multiple things at once, even over things I cannot do nothing about. I feel I have zero energy to do anything. Even getting up, going to kitchen and serving my own meal seems a lot of work. Sometimes I want to talk my heart out but it feels scary, I am worried people might judge me. This took a lot of courage to vent these out to you and I am grateful I did. Thank you 😊

Of course, this totally depends on who you are talking to. Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself in advance: how good do you know the person you are talking to? How familiar are they with depression or other mental illness? Why do you want to tell them that you are struggling in the first place? There is not one right way to tell somebody you have depression without saying it. One option would be to describe them how you feel in general and what makes you struggle, though. You could also tell them that what they are doing is harmful for your mental health because you are sensitive to situations like this, if that fits the situation. I hope this is helpful for you!

Actions will many times speak louder than words. When I have a situation where I'm just uncomfortable with talking about it, often times the people around me will just know. They know because of my body language, everything I say, how I say things, everything I do. I know this because I can tell when something is bothering a person. Maybe not 100% of the time, but the smallest thing can make the biggest things obvious. For the times no one can read you, regardless of what you say or do, regardless of how obvious you make it, there are probably still people who know something is up. They may not say anything because they are considering your feelings. Be as open as you need. Be as clear as you need.

It starts with a feeling deep inside you, a heavy feeling that you cannot name. But the feeling starts pouring into other things, things you like. You find it hard to do those things again, because it takes more effort than normal. So tell them that it takes more effort than normal to simply be. Tell them that the feeling inside you is too much and it is hard to describe. Tell them you are starting to lose interest in everything. Tell them it is hard to talk. Tell them the feeling is enveloping you. Tell them the dementors are starting to drain your soul and that you don't think you can feel happiness again.

you could say your feeling down, or even it a rut at the moment there are many ways to say your feeling depressed without actually saying depressed and labeling yourself as depressed...saying your down or in a really low mood at the moment would be a good start at trying to express what your going through...even that your in a rut or having troubles emotionally? if you dont want to label yourself as depressed thats fine and you can use those different terms there are most likely others just need to grab a dictionary and have a look! but you will get through it!

From my diagnosis of depression I just say that I'm struggling with really low moods but if you want to tell college I'd say I have been having trouble with my emotions

Maybe you could describe the symptoms of depression you're experiencing and hopefully the person you're speaking to will catch on. For example, you could say something like "I've been feeling really down recently and I don't know why. I feel like I don't have the energy to do anything either. Have you ever felt like this before?" Another idea is to ask them what their favourite song is right now and hopefully they'll ask you back, and you can say a sad song like Billie Eilish & Khalid - Lovely and say it's because you relate to the lyrics or something

Telling someone you are depressed without saying it? that's a difficult question... I ask myself this everyday when I want to open up to my family. When I want to let them know how alone I feel because they don't understand me. I don't know if they know I am depressed, if they do know and have never said anything to me... well I really wish they would say something. Some days I really think they do know but they choose not to say anything to me because they are scared they don't understand or they can't accept the reality that their daughter is depressed. Telling anyone you are depressed is one of the biggest challenges because you don't want to be seen differently, you simply want someone to be there for you, to understand you, to accept you, so you don't feel so alone.... I know I feel that way all the time. I want someone to see that I am hurting but not to make a big deal out of it. I want you to see that I am trying to get better, I am making an effort, but everyday is a challenge... Some days worse than others. I just want acceptance. Just see that, yes I am depressed but that doesn't mean there is something wrong with me. I am still normal... maybe not at the same level as you, but I am still normal and I am making the best effort to be the best person I can be. I am trying to be happy.