What Depression Really Feels Like: Sarah’s Honest Story of Coping and Survival

What does depression really feel like? For Sarah, it’s not just sadness—it’s a fast spiral into worthlessness, suicidal thoughts, and the struggle of finding her way back. In this powerful conversation, Sarah shares her “no BS” approach to talking about mental illness, how stigma makes asking for help harder than fixing a leaky faucet, and why naming depression out loud helps take away its power.

She opens up about her support group, coping strategies, pug videos, and a life-threatening experience with hormonal birth control that triggered severe suicidal ideation. This episode is for anyone who’s ever wondered what depression really feels like, and how people fight their way through it.

Primary Topics Covered:

• What depression really feels like vs. sadness or disappointment
• Sarah’s “no BS” approach to talking about mental illness
• Stigma, shame, and why asking for help feels harder than it should
• The role of humor and honesty in surviving depression
• Coping tools: support groups, friends, exercise, and pug videos
• Learning to separate yourself from depression’s lies
• Hormones, birth control, and their connection to mental health
• The mantra: “Depression can’t kill me unless I let it.”

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & Fundraising Note
00:33 Why Sharing Stories Matters
02:14 Meet Sarah – Loud, Proud & Honest About Depression
03:07 When Disappointment Turns Into Worthlessness
03:50 Using Humor to Talk About Suicidal Thoughts
04:47 Stigma, Patriarchy & Why We Hide Mental Illness
05:40 The Shame Around Asking for Help
06:36 Learning to Ride the Ups & Downs of Depression
07:53 Talking Back to Depression’s Lies
08:21 The Impact of Hormones on Mental Health
09:43 Sarah’s Suicidal Crisis Linked to Birth Control
10:43 Hormones, Menopause, Pregnancy & Depression
11:15 Why Naming It Out Loud Helps Heal

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