Sometimes it feels like there’s this invisible weight pressing down on my chest, like I can’t breathe right even though nothing’s physically wrong. Depression sneaks in quietly, like a fog creeping through cracks in the windows, and suddenly everything just feels dull. Like, I could be laughing with my friends one moment, but the second I’m alone, it’s like a switch flips and I’m drowning in my own thoughts. Everyone says “it gets better” but it’s hard to believe when every morning feels like a battle just to get out of bed, and the mirror doesn’t feel like it’s showing me me anymore.

What hurts most is that no one really notices. Teenagers are so good at pretending—we put on makeup, we post our smiles, we act like we’re fine because no one wants to hear the truth. But inside, it’s like our hearts are screaming while our mouths stay shut. It’s this kind of quiet war that we fight every day, and even though there’s so many of us going through it, it still feels so lonely. Like we’re all sitting in separate cages, staring out at the world we used to be part of, wondering if anyone will ever notice the locks, And it’s weird how you can be surrounded by people and still feel completely invisible. Like you’re just a ghost in your own life, watching it happen without really living it. Sometimes I scroll through my old pictures, trying to find the version of me that smiled without faking it, and I can’t even recognize her anymore. I miss her so much it hurts. But how do you explain that to someone without sounding dramatic? It’s not about being sad over one thing—it’s like this endless grey sky that just won’t go away, no matter how hard you wish for sun.

There are days when even the smallest things feel impossible. Showering, answering a text, even just drinking water—it all feels like climbing a mountain barefoot. And I hate it. I hate how it makes me feel weak and broken, like I’m stuck in a body that’s betraying me. But the worst part? When you start to believe that maybe this is just who you are now. That maybe you’re always going to feel too much or nothing at all. And that’s terrifying. Because deep down, we all just want to feel okay again—even if we’re not really sure what that means anymore.