What is depression like?

I have been depressed for eight years now. My doctor says that my condition is chronic, which means that it could be life long slump. When I heard this diagnosis, I was very discouraged. If I am going to be depressed for life, what is the use in living? I used to think that way about my situation but now I have accepted the cards that have been dealt to me.

Depression has different flavors for different people. I feel hopeless most of the time. It feels like no matter how hard I try at work or at school, everything is going to fall apart. Nothing will work out for me in this life. I feel defeated before I even start trying to do something. This has made life extremely difficult for me.

Also, I feel worthless. I feel like the things that I say and do have no value to anyone else or me. I feel like I am not worth talking to. I feel like I am not worth knowing. Nothing that I do seems to matter.

I feel generally sad, tired, and lazy. I prefer to sit at home alone rather than go outside. Feeling this way has cost me friendships and it has hurt my performance in school because sometimes I don't make it to class.

Being depressed is like living life wearing a pair of "sad sunglasses." All the good aspects of life get filtered out of the view by the sunglasses, leaving only the bad.

That is about all I feel like writing for today. Thanks for reading.