It’s a euphemism, you see
It’s not even close; it’s something
With which you don’t want to be.
Into a deep dark hole
And it feels like it’ll never end
As deeper inside you go
There is a hollow feeling
In the middle of your chest
And despite that emptiness
It feels as heavy as lead
Gone is your appetite
For both food and for life
And as for your sleep;
It evades you through the night
You lose interest in everything
Even what you’d enjoy
Work and play become a drag
To escape which, you use every ploy
You stay away from friends
With excuses of being busy
And call in sick from work
With stomach bugs and feeling dizzy
And stare at a future bleak
When loved ones try to comfort
To them, you refuse to speak
Finally the answer hits you
This life ain’t worth living
With nothing left to hope for
What better than it ending?
Once you have that single thought
That idea of ending it all
A plan slowly beings to form
In your mind it begins to crawl
Alas my friend, the secret though
Is not to kill yourself
To get rid of this black dog
You need to face your inner hell
If needed, get some meds
Get back into life’s routines
And start to meet your friends
Through your journey on the mend
This big black dog called Depression
For it to finally end…
Kim
30 March 2011 at 1:07 pmI think I will send this to my nephew who has been battling with depression now for a while. He says he just wants a magic pill to make it all better. While he is on medication, he just isn’t seeing light at the end of the tunnel right now and I don’t know how to help. He can’t afford a whole lot of therapy but he does see someone (I believe) but I’m not sure how that’s helping. Thanks for this, it was dead on for him and he needs all the help he can get.
Sribby
30 March 2011 at 1:27 pmloved it 🙂
Kim
30 March 2011 at 1:29 pmOh… I understand that black dog. Wrote about it myself a while back…
http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2010/03/19/breaking-the-black-dog/
Titaxy
30 March 2011 at 2:21 pm🙂 nice
Wolfbernz
30 March 2011 at 7:58 pmWell said, I always enjoy stopping by your blog.
Have a great day
Wolf
Psych Babbler
31 March 2011 at 3:38 amI’m stoked that you think this is readable by someone suffering from
depression Kim. I hope your nephew manages his depression…it is definitely
a struggle as I see with my clients but you can see change in those that are
willing to start working towards it. Definitely no magic pill or wand to
wave the blues away though…it requires hard work.
Psych Babbler
31 March 2011 at 3:38 amAww thanks Nu… 🙂
Psych Babbler
31 March 2011 at 3:39 amWelcome here Kim! Will check out your poem too… 🙂
Psych Babbler
31 March 2011 at 3:39 amThanks T 🙂
Psych Babbler
31 March 2011 at 3:39 amThanks Wolfbernz… 🙂
Prajakta Pradhan
31 March 2011 at 9:04 amThat’s really good. Simple and poignant! Nice!
Psych Babbler
31 March 2011 at 9:43 amWelcome here Prajakta! Thanks for the lovely comment… 🙂
sakshi
31 March 2011 at 9:51 amwas really helpgul..quite a useful read…we all are battling with our lives some or the other way….hopei can wave it away..thanks for the article..:)
Psych Babbler
31 March 2011 at 10:14 amWelcome here Sakshi! I’m glad that piece was helpful…hope you manage to fight those demons away…take care…
Lesleyg
31 March 2011 at 5:05 pmDepression is certainly the black dog when it hits you. I’ve been in that hollow spiralling ever downward. It’s a tough move to get out, one needs help…
Psych Babbler
31 March 2011 at 8:08 pmI hope you have been able to conquer your black dog Lesley…it really is
tough as you say…but if a person can manage it, kudos to them!