Ever since I've been back from Seattle. I've been interacting with a whole lotta depressed people. I'm not namin' names, they know who they are. And I love them. Even when they're sad.
But there is an art to talking to them, and it's very important to understand unless you want to stop interacting with depressed people which, quite frankly, is completely impossible in Seattle.
So here are a few tips to keep in mind when you're talking to people who are depressed:
1. Don't talk about anything fun. Fun things make depressed people even sadder. Hide your happiness from them. Your hapiness, however fleeting, could make them realize that they too could be happy...someday. And that's some scary shit for a depressed person. You don't want to scare people. The more happy things you talk about, the less they're going to want to hang out with you. Can you deal with that? Oh. Maybe you can.
2. Talk about impersonal things, things that have nothing to do with either of you, so you can avoid how uncomfortable you both feel.Hillary Clinton? Check. Gas prices? Double check.
3. Casually mention a therapist. Example: "I'm meeting my friend Dr. Harold Bloomberg for lunch. Oh, why, I think he's actually a head doctor actually maybe...do you know who those are? I do. How's your head? Really? I think not. 207-650-4567. That number just plopped out of my head. I don't know how. Call it. See what happens." Be SUBTLE.
4. Talk about shit as if it's going terribly, and then laugh. If you love your job, say you hate it. If you love your new boyfriend, say you hate him. Depressed people eat that shit up for breakfast.
5. Tell them they should probably make a baby. Babies make people less depressed.
6. Don't push pills unless they're like totally bugging. Also- don't talk like you're Cher from Clueless unless you want to be viewed as awesome.
7. Don't tell them to write on a blog. Depression blogs are depressing and cause more people to suffer from depression blogging.
8. In the course of researching this list, I just googled the word "depressing". I found this quote: "The secret source of humor itself is not joy, but sorrow. There is no humor in heaven." - Mark Twain. Mark Twain wrote depressing things, and he's like really famous, so tell your depressed friend not to worry.
9. That quote just, like, really affected me. Let's skip to 10.
10. I'm going to quote someone else now. "The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy." - Jim Rohn. I give up.
11. Now I'm depressed. Thanks a lot, internet.
4 comments:
Enjoyed your depressed people list and wrote about. Funny stuff! Mr. Be
mrbesilly.com
Very funny post Steven.
Found out about your post at Mr.Besilly's blog!
Jim Rohn's words reminded me of a few lyrics in 'The Rose'
It's the heart, afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance
It's the dream, afraid of waking
That never takes the chance
It's the one who won't be taken
Who cannot seem to give
And the soul, afraid of dying
That never learns to live
And, as for Mark Twain, coincidentally I'd only just used a bunch of his quotes in a quick article, using 16 Mark Twain Quotes. I had never considered him as depressed.
Here are Eight Principles Of Fun, for anyone feeling a bit flat today! :)
Cheers,
Thea
You've never battled depression, and I hope you never do. It's agony, and it's very real. No funnier than someone with a broken bone or a gaping wound. When the agony is too much to bear, a certain number of people end their lives. They're not crazy, they're battling a disease.
nice entry!!
hey,i gOt many friendz..cOz peOple think im very witty and fun TO hanGOut with..but every nyt i gO tO beD with a heavy heart..i have tOo many reasOns tO be sad..thOugh i never am in frOnta mOi friendz..i invent reasOns tO smile every mOrning and hit mOi day with a brOad smile..but by night ..i cant hiDe frOm myself anymOre...help !!
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