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Why is it so hard to be open when I fall in to a depressive episode?

21 Answers
Last Updated: 03/31/2020 at 4:01pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Melissa Strauss, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

I am client focused and believe everyone has a strength. I feel confident in seeing clients with generalized and social anxiety, depression and relational goals.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
February 16th, 2015 1:14am
We often feel as if we must deal with things alone, as if in some way this makes us a stroger perperson, when in reality it often does quite the opposite,
blissfulCupcake
November 17th, 2015 10:17pm
sometimes you may feel like no one will understand what you're going through or you don't know how to tell a person which is perfectly understandable that's why it may help to tell people you don't know about your problems as they will help you without being judgmental.
Anonymous
April 12th, 2015 9:38am
It's a natural reaction when we get depressed to isolate ourselves. Mainly because we either dont think anyone will understand, we dont want to bother others with why we are depressed, or we think we can manage it on our own. the best thing to do when we start feeling this way is to find someone we can trust and in a sense force ourselves to be open and honest with them.
strawberryGrace24
September 10th, 2018 5:47pm
One of the symptoms of depression is a very low self-esteem. Feeling as though you are not good enough, that your life is a mess and feeling as though you cannot see any positives about yourself or your life can go a long way to making you feel as though your thoughts and feelings are not 'important enough' or 'right' to be heard by anyone else. There is also the aspect of feeling deeply vulnerable when you open up to others. Opening up to another person when you are feeling depressed and so worthless can mean you feel even more vulnerable. Unfortunately, there are still many people who do not believe mental illness is real and they diminish or dismiss peoples experiences with mental illness. If you have been raised within a community that predominantly shares this point of view it is understandable that you would feel reluctant to open up about your experiences with depression or any other mental illness. One of the most important things is that you have recognised that you find it hard to open up while feeling depressed. This means that you now know what to work on. It is a brave and self-aware step that you have taken. To start on working on this challenge you may find it helpful to examine what it is you are thinking when presented with the opportunity to open up to someone while experiencing depression and you are finding it difficult. In care and support.
Anonymous
July 7th, 2015 10:31pm
Because in depression you want to keep all of your low feelings bottled up because you dont want to be a burden to others
Anonymous
September 8th, 2015 3:19am
When we get into a depressive state we focus on being more of a victim of the problem we see. This keeps us from seeing things from a different perspective and makes it more difficult for us to experience our own strengths. We do not feel like there is anything that can help us.
BeesOnFlowers
March 31st, 2020 4:01pm
When faced with a depressive episode, one can expect a skewed perception of reality. The part of the brain tasked with turning thoughts into words is not very well connected to the part of the brain tasked with understanding wants and needs. Adding a load of depressive thoughts and a lack of positive hormones can severely taint what little connections these two parts of the brain have. While one may believe that they're incapable of expressing their emotions correctly and concisely because of their incompetence, the actuality of the situation is much more complex. There is nothing wrong with who you are as a person when it comes to this inability or difficulty expressing emotions, wants, and needs; this is simply a scientific issue regarding the connections in your brain.
EmilyLemony
December 19th, 2017 7:25pm
When we're feeling vulnerable we often close ourselves off so that we don't experience any more pain. Try to remember that people who truly love you will never intentionally hurt you.
calmPanda51
October 18th, 2016 12:17pm
Its actually the fear of rejection or disapproval that prevents us from expressing ourselves when we are depressed. We feel that people will make fun of our emotions instead of lending a listening ear
EmilyAnnMarie
June 7th, 2016 11:35pm
Because when you are depressed, you're scared someone won't understand you or you'll be judged by your problems
Anonymous
May 17th, 2016 9:37pm
When we are depressed we take ourself into another world a world where everything we do to us feels like bothering other!
CaringMongoose29
December 29th, 2015 10:08am
Most of people see depression as something shameful, though its not. Any one can fall into depression, people shouldn't be ashamed of it. If you get help it doesn't mean you are week, it means that you just care about yourself.
Vannahlea
December 15th, 2015 4:25pm
A lot of times i'm ashamed of myself for not having better control over my emotions and i feel weak, so i try and hide this weakness from everyone. I also dont want to burden people with my problems so i just dont tell people about my problems. I want to be seen as strong, so that people wont have to worry about me, if people knew about my episodes i feel as if it would ruin that image and ruin my independence.
Panther2
November 10th, 2015 12:53am
Because depression is like a snake squeezing every last bit of light or hope out of you that it makes a way out hard to find
Anonymous
January 24th, 2015 1:10pm
Because you feel like nobody understand you and nobody can help you.It is normal to think this way it doesnt mean it is true.
sos42
July 21st, 2015 3:08am
Depression makes us weak. It makes us fall, so it's hard to get back up. We need to make sure when we fall, we fall into someones arms.
Anonymous
June 12th, 2015 2:22am
There's chemical stuff going on in your brain that is trying to get you to hole up and rest and not think or engage.
Anonymous
June 10th, 2015 2:32pm
Because you are embarrassed. You want to be "normal" and feel weak and inadequate when you fall. It's almost like you failed yourself. None of this is true, of course. There is no normal except for what is normal for you. Validate your right to have a bad day, or even week. Once you can help yourself to own it without embarrassment, then the work of facing it head on and meeting the challenge by being open and seeking loving support can happen.
Anonymous
May 22nd, 2015 7:28am
When under that state, it feels as if I stink, and anyone I come in contact with will unavoidably catch my negativity. Besides , there is this fear that once I open up the person's attitude toward me will change for the worse.
Eluna
April 15th, 2015 6:42pm
When you're depressed, all you want to do is shut people out and not be "bothersome" to others. It's really hard to ask for help because you feel like it's unimportant to them, and so you don't want to ask them for help or talk to them because you could be afraid that they'd ignore you.
Anonymous
January 26th, 2015 2:52pm
It's hard to be open because you feel numb inside. When you're in a depressive episode suddenly everything become hard.