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The Time Warp of Depression
A few things to try when there’s no end in sight
That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end. — Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation
Think about the last time you were in physical pain. Maybe it was a sprained ankle, a migraine, or even a major surgery. Now, consider whether you could think about anything but the pain. Could you pry your thoughts away for more than a few seconds? Probably not.
Now imagine the moment the pain ended. Or lessened. What did you feel? Relief? Joy? Euphoria? What if you had no idea when the pain was going to end? What if that broken bone was never going to heal? Would you stop hoping for or even imagining a future free from pain?
This is what happens with depression. There is nothing to be seen for miles except the slow creep of excruciating time. You cannot see the end. You cannot see the beginning. There is only now — and now feels infinite.
