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What People With Depression ACTUALLY Mean By "I’m Busy"

What People With Depression ACTUALLY Mean By "I’m Busy"

When people with depression say "I'm busy", this comment is often not completely understood by those around them. For this reason, we at The Depression Project recently asked our 3,000,000+ person social media community:

What do you really mean when you say you’re ‘"busy"?

And below, we’d like to share with you some of the responses.

Quotes About What People With Depression Actually Mean When They Say "I'm Busy"

  • “I’m too exhausted / can’t deal with others right now.”
  • “I feel too overwhelmed and paralysed to do anything.”
  • “I can’t meet because I am at war with my mind and feel numb to the world around me.”
  • “I don’t have the energy to come.”
  • “I’ll be home sleeping and trying to cope.”
  • “Depression is zapping all of my motivation.”
  • “My schedule is probably free, but my head is full and I can’t deal with anything else.”
  • “I am not able to get out of bed.”
  • “I feel so overwhelmed with everything right now, and I really can’t handle a single other thing.”
  • “I am busy trying to get everything done while I have the energy before I spiral.”
  • “When I say ‘I’m busy’, it means that I’m probably taking time for self-care.”
  • “Right now, my body and mind won’t let me do anything.”
  • “I am busy sleeping to escape my thoughts.”
  • “I don’t have enough energy to go out and pretend that I’m ‘fine’.”
  • “I can’t function properly right now and don’t want you to see that.”
  • “I can’t muster up the energy to be around people, even if they mean a lot to me.”
  • “I am busy surviving.”

    What To Do If You Know Someone With Depression Who Tells You "I'm Busy"

    In light of the above descriptions of what people with depression actually mean when they say "I'm busy", if someone you know with depression tells you they're "busy", then we encourage you to:

    1. Firstly, please be mindful of the possibility that in that moment, they may be going through a lot – so instead of trying to pressure and convince them to “go somewhere" or to "do something" with you, please instead respect and abide by their wishes.
    2. Secondly, we encourage you to ask them if there’s anything you can do to help them, support them or to make their life easier, and reiterate that you’re there for them if they need anything.
    3. Lastly, later on in the day / evening, etcetera, you may also want to reach out and check in on them to see how they are :)

    We really hope you've found this blog post helpful ❤️

    All our love,

    The Depression Project Team.