I certainly couldn't tell. But then again it's probably like gay people: there's no one "way" of being gay, though most of us think there is (the "camp" way). Similarly, you don't have to be [Sadness](http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Sadness) to be depressed. High-functioning individuals can be depressed. Famous rich people can be depressed. Happy smiling people can be depressed. The numbers are definitely growing. It might be a good sign, considering how melancholy is often tied to intelligence, and has been since the ancient Greeks. It might be evidence of growing awareness of objective reality.

Thanks for sharing, good info to follow

Dear@suesa, you are a brave person to come out and talk about your condition. I think we all aware of this years world health day slogan - "Depression-lets talk" . If we seek help to analyse, we all have depression of some form. But it all depends upon the gravity and triggering factor. Sharing what you feel - is a already good sign that you are better than before posting this message. People with greater form of this condition usually dont do this as they feel self "worthlessness" and nullicity. From what i can see , you are already a step closer to out of this condition if you have been diagnosed appropriately.there must be a triggering factor to why you are feeling this way. Although my speciality is in eye surgery,I do also have patients who go into great depression when their diagnosis is such that no modern technology can restore their sight. Even they can be shown a pathway to happiness and normality with whatever vision they have left.life has been, is and will always be a constant batttle. As long as you dont lose hope, you always stand high and proud. Hope to hear from you soon. Regards.

I also experience that feeling of not being able to reach my maximum. I do well in school but it always feels like I'm nowhere near my full. I always overthink things. My brain processes a lot of unnecessary stuff and I eventually turn out mentally drained.   Every time I come face to face with my books, my mind starts drifting somewhere else. I easily lose focus and 80%  of my supposed study time is spent procrastinating.

Thank you for sharing this with us, friend.

I guess we people are built this way - rarely gettting 100% (or even 50%) efficiency to anything. Who knows.

hi.. @suesa, we live in this world is indeed always there is a problem but we should be able to fight it, I think it is a reasonable thing depression and we can handle it. Usually when my depression would go for an excursion to the mountain or to the beach, and I think the depression may be removed by us to do good to other people, other people feel glad we will be joined by happy.

cool stuff keep it going

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Hang in there! You got this!

I am sorry to you are going through tough times but my guess is that the majority of people suffers from depression, anxiety or psychosis... Just like their governments. I believe in epigenetics asserting that the environment is a big part of the problem. One heals oneself faster when realizing  that the world today makes very little sense. 

watch 'the century of the self', on youtube, that's a jaw dropping 5H documentary that will be worth your time

Every human being is born with a 'fear of being'  that springs from cosmic abandonment, that each individual is aware of the vast  universe. This is a PTSD so to speak that has been cultivated from a generation to the next, and which must be let go. The western materialistic education just greatly increases the fear of being.

I would like to relate to your depression on an emotional level, unfortunately, my brain chemistry doesn't like that and is almost fully operational 100% of the time for action. Is like I'm an energetic puppy.
There are some advantages to depression. It makes you more conservative and risks averse on a physical level. That's nice, if you don't want fractures and near death experience like the ones I've had. An argument even if weak can be made of how a small amount of depression in a biological sense in women is healthy.
I, on the other hand, will probably die by chewing a cable or something.

You are the hero I want to be like you and I would be grateful if you supported me

Maybe you need to take some time to chill, and do things you really enjoy, not focused on performance, to recharge your energy from time to time :)

I have a somewhat similar problem. Most of my energy is wasted in getting myself out of bed and doing something useful. A few months back, all I used to do is sit lay on my bed and watch youtube all day, but that has improved a lot in recent months. I get bursts of enthusiasm, and then it dies down. Right now, I'm on a Steemit roll. I have a week of holiday, and I've decided to go all in on Steemit for this week, but I'm already not sure if I'll be able to maintain it until the end of the week.

Are not many people unable to see the truth about us? Only we know exactly, despite the diagnosis of the experts

Writing about what you feel sometimes helps. I can only imagine what you are going through. Fight don't let it get over you !!!

(Literally) Fuck Organic Chem.

If we could live our lives to the max, i think nobody would fight against each other anymore. Everybody is satisfied and happy.

Thanks for sharing. I too have experienced periods like this in my life.  For me,  setting time aside to do things I was passionate about was key. It can be tough to not be depressed when looking at the state of the world we live in. Luckily, neuroplasticity is a component of the brain and is capable of change over time. Stay positive and keep moving forward!

Right now im going to caught by depression but im trying to escape with my maximum energy i left. i fall again how many time but i still not losing my hope. steemit.com is my latest hope. i dont know i will succeed or no but life is a game lets play dear. Talk to people make new friends. If you need healing mantra contact me on wats app +917508382611. its free of cost dont wory. followed you kindly do a favour plz spread my post as much you can if you are real human. your one click can change my life.
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Dear @suesa!  I've been struggling with depression over 3 years now and I know exactly how hard it is to get out of bed and to take care of yourself.  So many things can throw me off balance. For a very long time I did not speak about it with anyone, I just suffered quietly. I find it extremely helpful to talk about it with people, to try to sort thoughts out with another human being. My virtual hug to you. Those are super important. Sometimes I just sit alone and think to myself - I really need just a hug. 

I wish all the best for you! You are simply amazing! 

I wonder the same. I've not been capable of my full potential for very long time and sometimes I can't function at all.

Thanks for sharing your story with us man. Sometimes functioning can be so difficult when most activities seem so pointless, i hope you find a purpose that overdrives your depression! peace to you brother :)

At the risk of sounding smug, I had suspicions, purely on  your typing style in chat; you type exactly like several of my friends suffering the same/similar conditions... Best of luck and we're all here for you

how can we reduce our depression,although we listen music to change our mind thinkings

I understand I how you feel. I've been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder in 2015 ever since my family started to fall apart. I had financial problems, relationship problems and also I'm doing really bad in my studies. Every single one of us wanted to live in an ideal world created by our own imagination, I can guarantee you that. The world ain't pretty but I've learned to look upon this life on a different angle. It's working so far and I'm not dependent on anti-depressant anymore. If you are strong enough, you will find that the reward waiting for you at the end of the road is proportional to the challenges that you faced currently, so hang in there. Your turn will come soon enough.

I’ve been diagnosed with depression. It’s not bad enough that I need to take meds – at least not according to the therapist who diagnosed me. I’m extremely high functioning and you probably wouldn’t notice that something is wrong.

I’m doing alright at university, I’m extremely structured and can easily balance multiple tasks. I used to work two jobs and as you’ve probably seen, I post a text of significant length almost daily on here.

What you don’t know is that 80% of my energy is wasted on totally mundane things, like leaving the bed and showering on a regular basis. It takes immense self control for me just to keep living.

What a touching piece. And sad.
I am saying this from a place of 'recovery'. - you sound very, very similar to me.

I have two conflicting issues with this ( as I am sure you encounter yourself)
1/ When I was receiving 'sympathy' for being in a shitty place - It only made things worse
2/ When I was looking inwards, trying to work out what was wrong with me - it only made things worse
3/When I said 'fuck all this' and walked away, with no money ( well $700), lived by the seat of my pants, and lived IN THE MOMENT, EVERYDAY, NO PLANS it got better.
I still get those moments of course, but now think the tools are unconsciously
hardwired - A bad week now, is no problem.
I wish you all all the luck in the world  - look outwards, no matter how much you don't want to !- If you are looking out, you can't be looking in.

A personal perspective

Depression is not a rare condition and I'm sure it's quite draining to function with it. I hope you find a way to feel and function better and start seeing more joy in life with time and therapy.

Sometimes our self is our worst enemy. 
Sometimes you're around people you say you love and love you back, but you feel nothing but an empty space inside you.
Sometimes living is restrained to breathing in and out.

I've walked down that path...
You're not the only one.

I don't have anything insightful to say. I loved Migzillion's wish that you'll find something that will fire you through inertia, or a series of somethings. Hang in there. Clearly you know how to do that and are doing so. Just didn't want to read and pass by without sending you a virtual hug of some sort and hoping for you that the depression goes back whence it came. I can personally empathise from my own experience. I think you'll find strategies that can turn it around.

I have Bipolar II, so I both go through meh bleargh depression everything is the worst... and ZOMG 120% DO DO DO FASTER FASTER FASTER!!!1!

Having experienced nearly every extreme of emotion, I don't know if going at "maximum" capacity would be all that healthy. Not that depression is, either, but I've found measuring one's "output" doesn't lead to happiness, either. You have value more than what you can do or potentially do.

God be with you in your struggles.

nice post

Firstly, let me say I am sorry you are experiencing this condition.  You haven't said what  your medical provider has said about what level of depression they feel you are at and what treatment plan they recommend or you may have started.   I have C-PTSD and experience  varying levels of clinical depression myself. It is not something that you an just turn on and off by forcing yourself to do things at the clinical level.  I'm also a professional recording artist and currently cannot *feel* music very well.  It's hard.  But I do have other small pleasures I enjoy like bicycling and trail riding (I have 2 bikes).  I love the outdoors and I hop on my bikes and go as a matter of habit no matter how I feel, it helps but it doesn't cure.  I don't know if you have ever heard of ketamine treatments, it's legal and available t ketamine clinics, you could google it.  I'm hoping to get back in  groove here to start earning again (I stopped for about  a year because my son was in accident and was in  coma for  few months and I couldn't write).  If I end up doing the ketamine treatment and you would like to know I will write about it and  let you know.  Take care.

Hang in there :) thankyou for being vonurable and sharing such personal information . I've been through similar .

Stay strong :) I don't know if it helps but remember you are not alone in this struggle. Every person has demons to fight.

@suesa. I can fully understand what you're going through. A lot of us perceive depression as being sad, whereas in reality its this numb, empty,hollow place inside you, that you can't climb out of. I was  emotionally abused as a child that had burned my self-confidence to the ground for a very long time. Till now, I have a hard time feeling emotions including love, happiness . I'm slowly recovering from it everyday, but occasionally, I relapse. Strangely, now that I realize, it has defined both my positive and negative traits, which is both terrifying and beautiful.  To quote the lyrics of one of favourite songs - "Forgetting all the hurt inside
You've learned to hide so well
Pretending someone else can come
And save me from myself
I can't be who you are"
I wish you all the best in your recovery :-)
  Love, xmachina
P.S. : I'll be writing on this very soon.