‘Depression isn’t beautiful’: Woman’s heartbreaking Facebook post goes viral

• By Asad Tipu
• June 18, 2017
• 2 minutes read

This is Katelyn Marie Lesho on one of her good days

She suffers from a form of depression, and some time ago, she made a heartbreaking but honest Facebook post. As of writing this, it has over 300K shares, over 23K comments, and over 200K reactions. In it, she discusses the daily struggle that comes with depression, something some celebrities and media tend to glamourise.

She starts by saying this

I brushed my hair today. For the first time in 4 weeks. It was matted and twisted together. It snapped and tore with every stroke. I cried while I washed and conditioned it, because I forgot how it felt to run my fingers through it. I brushed my teeth, too, for the first time in a week. My gums bled. My water ran red. I cried over that, as well. When I got out of the shower, I couldn’t stop sniffing my hair and arms. I’ve avoided hugging people for a while, because I never smell good. I always smell like I’ve been on bedrest for a week. I have no clean clothes, because I’m too tired and sad to wash them.

“Depression isn’t beautiful.”

Depression is bad hygiene, dirty dishes, and a sore body from sleeping too much. Depression is having 3 friends that are only still around because they have the patience and love of a saint. Depression is crying until there’s no more tears, just dry heaving and sobbing until you’re gasping for your next breath. Depression is staring at the ceiling until your eyes burn because you forget to blink. Depression is making your family cry because they think you don’t love them anymore when you’re distant and distracted. Depression is somatic as well as emotional, an emptiness you can physically feel.

She ends it by pleading her friends and family to be more lenient with people who are struggling. Because they’re trying, see?

Please be easy on your friends and family that have trouble getting up the energy to clean, hang out, or take care of themselves. And please, please take them seriously if they talk to you about it. We’re trying. I swear we’re trying. See? I brushed my hair today.

This is the original post:

She gives this raw, eye-opening, and unfiltered look into what depression does to you. It’s not glamorous, or tragically beautiful. It’s ugly and it’s hard. There’s a reason why so many people are agreeing with her.