
An argument gun owners like to use in the debate surrounding the 2nd Amendment is, "Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." While you could make a slew of counter-arguments against that kind of thinking, the following stories might be the sway the gun owner side needs to defend their ground.
Reddit user, u/Restroom406, wanted to know about those tense moments when they asked:
Concealed carry permit users who have pulled your firearm, what happened?
It's not something you would want to happen, but it does seem like they're ready to go when the s-word gets real.
Rage On The Road
"Road rage inccedent."
"There was a guy in front of me at a red light. Its a long red. It finally turns green. He's busy texting, light turns yellow, then red again. He has a passenger. Passenger is just looking at the driver and yelling. The light turns green again, Im still waiting. This time I tap the car horn, the passenger looks back through the rear window, then opens his door, gets out and starts kicking my passenger side window and trying to get in my car."
"The door was locked but I couldn't drive off because i was too close to the car he got out and there was someone right behind me. He tried kicking my mirror off, missed, got more mad, came to the drivers side, tried getting in again... i was in shock and didn't know what to do for the first like... 5-10 seconds of this happening. More in shock out of disbelief than anything... then I remembered I had my ccw, drew it in the car and the guy held his hands up got back in the passengers seat and then the next green light came and it was over. The whole thing was surreal."
toxic_badgers
A Sale To Remember
"Wasn't me but a friend of mine (we'll call him Nick) was selling his Harley on Craigslist. Someone agreed to meet him at his house to look at the bike and buy it. 2 people pulled up in a car and they started doing the negotiations. He then asked Nick if he could test ride the bike to which he said sure. The buyer rode off with the bike and his friend started to get in the car. Nick is now realizing that their intention the whole time was to take the bike for a test drive and never return."
"As the buyers friend is putting the key in the ignition, Nick points a gun at his head and says, "is it really worth dying for?" Nick says "you're gonna get a call from your buddy here in a minute asking where you are and why you're not at the spot you were going to meet him afterwards." Sure enough his phone rings and it's his buddy asking him where he is. Nick makes him get on his knees and waits for the cops to arrive."
gio_drifts
"Damn. Did your friend get his bike back?"
"What happened to the two idiots?"
JCkent42
"Yeah he got the bike back pretty easily. I mean he was essentially holding the dipsh-ts buddy hostage so he didn't have much of a choice but to return it. As for what happened to the idiots I think the cops came and arrested them but can't remember 100% I'll ask him the next time I see him to make sure"
gio_drifts
Living alone, in this world, is certainly a risk depending on the area you reside in. Fret not: keep a gun in your side table by the bed.
Living Alone But Never Afraid
"My mom conceal carrys legally and she has pulled it a lot of times. She lives way out in rural Alabama. Her driveway is 1 mile long legit. She has no neighbors. Cops are an hour away minimum. She had to pull it on some redneck poacher hunters on her property when they were being [sassy] and intimidating to her. Since they were hunters they already had their guns out. She told them to get off her property and pulled out her handgun-they high tailed it out of there at that point."
"Another time she was driving with my stepdad down a highway at like 4 in the morning or something. They live to travel super late at night/early in the morning. No one else on the road. Some truck tries to run them off the road-she pulls out her handgun and shows it to the truck driver and he takes off and leaves them alone."
"I think in her case I was glad she had the gun. It lets people know if you want to f-ck with her-you may not survive it. and then they think better and leave."
nonailsnodrag
Do You Really Want To Stand Up To A Bear Gun?
"Not CCW,but didn't need it in Alaska."
"We lived at the top floor apartment in a slightly less then desirable area of Anchorage. Not the worst but bad enough. Guy is pounding on my door at 3 AM screaming for Joe to let him in and sounding very angry. I answered the door in my boxers holding my Ruger Redhawk .44 I carry for bears (loaded with Alaska backpacker rounds, 425 grain hardcast). He just backed up put his hands up and said "sorry, dude, wrong apartment". I said "you think?"
Mtcowbou
Making A Choice For Your Loved Ones
"Walking with my disabled little brother near my house when a bulldog charged us. I had it mostly out of the holster when the dog hit the end of its rope. I didn't even see the rope until the dog hit it; all I saw was a blur of a big dog rushing me and thinking about my little brother who can't run."
scapholunate
A Night In Central Texas
"...My wife (then-girlfriend) and I were leaving a theater at ~9PM. The middle of the parking lot was always kind of dark at night, which meant I paid a lot more attention while walking through it."
"This night I notice two teenagers walking towards the theater as we walk away. They're both wearing hoodies and step out from a car that's still running with the driver at the wheel. Mind you, this is August in Central Texas. Nobody is wearing hoodies, even at night. Especially not with the hoods up."
"So these jokers walk past me and my girlfriend is still talking. Completely oblivious to the whole thing. But I'm watching, and one of the kids turns abruptly and I see him reaching under his hoodie to his waistband. When his elbow starts moving back, I decide to pull my gun."
"Whatever this kid was pulling out of his waistband, obviously it wasn't as hot as my Glock 19. Both these f-ckers start running like Usain Bolt and disappear into the parking lot."
"I will add that I'm REALLY glad I didn't have to shoot them. In fact, my Glock didn't even make it out of the holster before those idiots were gone. The optimist in me says it was some teenagers doing some dumb sh-t, and they've learned to not lead that kind of lifestyle. Realistically, they probably just found someone else on another night."
Ovvr9000
All joking aside, the gun industry has trained its consumers to think that there's danger around every corner and at any given moment someone is coming to kill you and everyone you love.
Don't mistake that with the real thought which is there might come a time when a person accosts you, hoping to take your wallet or phone, but it's not nearly as often as you think.
An Intimidating Mat
"I worked at a convenience store. One night the wind had been blowing like a son of a b-tch messing up the liners in the outside trash cans with trash ending up in the cans but not the liners. Instead of dragging each can individually I loaded them up in the back of my truck and backed down the little side driveway to the dumpster."
"As I exited my vehicle I saw someone come around the side of the building towards me. There is absolutely no reason to be back there. I reached under my seat pulled my pistol yelled "Freeze!" and realized I had trained my gun on a plastic mat hung out to dry."
sortakindah
Waiting Until You Get Home
"I had to pick my wife up at the airport one night. We got back to our house at around 2am. My wife had left her pursue in the truck so she went back out to get it. She comes running back in screaming because some guy had been hiding in our bushes and poped out on her as she was getting into the truck. She escaped him and ran inside screaming. I grabbed my gun and a flash light and turned on the guy. He froze and I told him to lay on the ground and held him there until the cops came to arrest him."
"Protip: If you tell 911 you are holding someone at gun point they get there REALLY fast."
IxJAXZxI
"I don't even remember what I was thinking."
"I'm a very petite girl in my late 20s, had someone tap on my window one night while I was at a gas station (they were closed, pumps still operating) in a kind of sketchy neighborhood in my big city (FL). I hadn't even gotten out of my car to pump gas as I was still looking for my debit card. Guy was trying to rob me or steal my car, I honestly don't know cause he had a mask over his nose and mouth with a hoodie and I couldn't hear but I did see he had a gun partially coming out of his hoodie pocket (those middle ones)."
"I felt my heart in my throat but somehow I pulled mine out of my purse and pointed it and he ran like hell. I assume some punk kid with a fake gun maybe. But I cried like hell once I got out of there and parked somewhere safer. I don't know what would've transpired had he had an actual gun. I don't even remember what I was thinking."
BanginBetty
A Face You've Never Seen
"I pulled my firearm in my own home. It was a quiet afternoon and I was lying in bed to take a nap when my home security system let me know an unknown face was at my front door. Not unusual I get packages all the time and my phone always lets me know when an unfamiliar face is at the door."
"Anyway i just wanted to take a nap so I didn't go looking into it I figured I'd just get the package later, then my phone indicated that my front door had been opened. I open the app and see on the video feed two men had entered my home so I hit the send help button and got my weapon when the two men opened the door to my room all it took was them seeing the gun in my hand to run away."
Hella_hoot
A Lion Or A Kitty
"My dog ran away from me while I was on a hike in the woods (yanked the leash right out of my hands). He bolted to chase after some noise I didn't hear. I followed him the best I could by using his barks and listening to general rustling noises in the woods (he is not a graceful pup). As I got closer to where I thought he was the trees were pretty thick and I started to hear a low growling noise that I associated with a mountain lion (I've never heard a mountain lion, to the best of my knowledge at least)."
"I drew my gun then because I suspected that I was about to walk up on this mountain lion eating my dog. I would need it out of self defense. Luckily, it turned out to be a house cat that had perched itself in a tree to avoid my dog. I could have sworn that growl was from something ten times bigger."
DeFactoLyfeIt Is The Age Of Uber and Lyft
"Some guy opened the door and got into the passenger seat of my car while I was sitting at a red light while driving through an industrial area of my town late at night. I had just dropped off a friend at his work on a night shift, so the doors were unlocked (older car, no auto locks) He was going across the crosswalk, and veered off to the side of my car when he got to it then opened the door and got in. I had started drawing my gun as soon as he changed direction at my car, so it was out and ready when he got in. He turned toward me to say something, I was pointing the gun at him, and I said "what the f-ck are you doing?". He stammered something unintelligible, got out and ran off."
"He might have mistaken me for someone else, like a lyft or uber or something but I wasn't about to sit there and wait to see what his intentions were. Nobody got carjacked/mugged and nobody got shot, so it all worked out in my opinion."
baron556
Not Sure What You're Holding There
"I have once and it scared the sh-t out of me. I do hvac and when I started at my current company they were very new and would take all the work we could get so that meant going into some unsavory areas. I was looking at an AC unit for a slumlord we were dealing with at the time when some large dude came into the backyard and had me cornered while screaming about me trespassing and some other unintelligible stuff. He had what I'm assuming was a machete, could have been a lawnmower blade, in his hand and kept pointing it at me. I knew he wasn't the tenant as the property was vacant."
"I pulled my gun from my holster in my waistband and made it very clear that I would shoot him. I don't even know if I would have because I was terrified. I'm a big guy and he could have manhandled me. After what couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes he back backed off and I grabbed my tools and hauled a-- back to my van. Ended up not doing anymore work for that guy. It's a really sh-tty feeling, especially after the adrenaline wears off."
dustinator
"The fact that I'm a 6'2" 250lb male did nothing to discourage him."
"Didn't draw but was open carrying and at the ATM getting money to pay the sitter after a evening out + dinner. So it's dark, around 9:30pm or so. As I started working the ATM, my spidey sense started going off. I glanced left, saw nothing, to the right, and something was amiss. I stopped looking for detail and started looking for movement. I saw a dark silhouette of a person sneaking along the wall."
"The ATM was lit up like the noon day sun. So I took a half step left, made sure that my firearm was plainly visible, and continued my transaction. While paying attention to the guy trying to sneak up on me. When he got close enough, he realized I was armed. His eyes got huge, he bolted away, and every couple of steps, glanced back to see if I was chasing him."
"It's a bad idea to approach someone, in a skulking manner, at night, specifically staying in the shadows. Doing that means you have ill intent. The fact that I'm a 6'2" 250lb male did nothing to discourage him."
"I'm glad I was armed."
MyWorkAccount2018Do you have similar gun-out-of-holster stories? Share them in the comment section below.
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And there are just as many grievances for which we are not at all sorry.
Curious to hear about people's track record of their questionable behavior, Redditor NanoPKx asked:
"What is something bad you have done with no regrets?"
Is it petty theft or flat out stealing? You decide.
The Parting Gift
"'Forgetting' to bring back a company ipad after they forgot about me having it. Actually they never asked for it back so I still have it and use it."
– Koetjeka
Furry Companion
"I stole a barn kitten while delivering packages for FedEx. He kept climbing my legs and getting into the van, sitting under the wheel when I tried to back out (it was a steep driveway, no way to swing the van around). I called the number on the package, looked the name up on facebook, called the local non-emergency to get contact info, all failed."
"So I took him. Now, if you're not from a rural environment, you might not understand that barn cats like that are 'no-man's-cats.' For all the owners know, he got sick or got got by a coyote. And he would have died, because when we got him to the vet he had a nasty upper resp infection and some other nasties."
"Now, one deformed nasal passage and the cutest snore later, we have a bonkers little orange cat with the heaviest penchant for snuggling I've ever seen (his name is Monty btw)."
"Edit: I forgot to pay my Cat Tax: https://imgur.com/a/HIXS4us"
"Edit Part 2: Monty loves the attention. Thank you for loving him as much as we do :3"
"MmmmMMMMRrrrrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW" -Montgomerey Valentine, 2022
– SonOfSkinDealer
The Dirty Treat
"A housemate of mine kept eating mine and my girlfriends food and even though I asked him to stop the only thing he would ever say is 'I thought it was mine' then keep eating it."
"Well I bought my girlfriend some ice cream she really enjoys and she put the half she didn’t finish back in the freezer. Well when she want to get the rest it was gone and it made me madder than I think it probably should have."
"The very next time I saw him and somehow keeping a straight apologetic face I told him how he accidentally ate our sex ice cream and that bits of it had been on our parts etc. I told him I felt guilty not to tell him and that I had to apologise for him to eat such a thing."
"I will never forget the face he made when I told him. A face of pure self disgust and shock to which all he had to say was 'I wish you never told me that' and proceeded to move out around a month later."
"Although he didn’t actually eat sex ice cream, like why the f'k would you put it back after use anyway? Sometimes I wonder if I went to far but in that moment I just did not care at all. He still doesn’t know it isn’t true and I’ll probably never see him again."
"F'k you Vitas buy your own food."
– SpicyDolphin74
Vengeance is sweet.
Payback Time
"A drunk driver hit my parked car, left a huge dent in the front driver’s side door, and then drove away. I happened to be looking out the window at the time and saw the whole thing, including his plate number. Cops got there not long after and took my statement. After a couple days and a couple phone calls, I found out nothing was going to come of it because he was the son of the sheriff the next county over."
"Fast forward a couple months, I see his car parked behind a local bar within walking distance of my apartment. I got out my hunting knife and sliced all four of his tires, and made a couple trips around it destroying the paint job. Yellow Pontiac Sunfire, and I still remember the goddamn plate number even after almost 20 years."
– IgnoreMe304
For The People
"I was a GM for a retailer that was going out of business. During the liquidation I let my employees that worked until the end store product they wanted to buy in a closet I claimed I didn't have a key to. Oh the final days I sold them all the items they requested for 95% off. 70" tvs, ipads, gaming laptops whatever they requested."
– Midnights606
Surreptitious Swap
"Years ago I worked for a wealthy dude who was married to someone semi-famous. He would waltz in every morning and talk about the fantastic dinner he had the night before, how he hung out with some other famous person or whatever else."
"He paid me peanuts. I had a hard time making ends meet."
"I was the office assistant and IT guy. So it comes time to get a new computer for one of the designers. I spec something out, and show it to him. It was a ripper of a machine for the time (early 2000s). But it wasn’t expensive enough for bossman."
"So I added a really high end graphics card. Boss was happy then. The card added nothing for the designer: they only did illustrator and photoshop."
"So I came in that weekend and swapped the graphics card for my aging one from home."
"No one ever knew. Or cared. And I got a new graphics card."
– Dudeinairport
When times are tough, people had to do what it took to survive.
T.P. Crisis
"In college I was so poor I would steal toilet paper from the supply closet in our major building."
– Business_Loquat5658
Hungry College Buddy
"I stood watch for a college friend who was going hungry because he’d been disowned and his roommates had made living with him intolerable after he came out."
"I was loosely affiliated with an off campus program with local churches that gave free student dinners on Thursdays. We would go to church to eat, then bring dishes into the kitchen."
"Anyway, he would go in there and steal stuff like peanut butter, literal bread (not an allegory), granola bars etc. while I watched out for the pastor."
"Eventually we both got caught, the pastor for the college students got a bit mad because he was responsible for us while we were there to eat. And I think it was offensive on some level to steal from church. But then he saw what my friend was taking, and asked him if he had enough to eat. My friend shamefacedly said no, not usually."
“'Okay, fine. Put the food back, and come with me.' Took my friend grocery shopping instead, got him connected with the food pantry and community garden at church instead."
– SchnarchendeSchwein
Based on these examples, people didn't twice about their actions in the heat of the moment.
Within reason, we all gotta somehow get by.
But do you think their actions deserve punishment?
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When a person sees someone they care about going through a struggle or crisis, their instinct is to uplift them with positive advice.
But sometimes, the wisdom imparted by friends isn't always helpful or relevant to the situation.
Curious to hear from strangers online who could do without specific knowledge, Redditor Saibotnl1 asked:
"What life advice can just f'k off?"

These Redditors have a problem with how certain people have on outlook on life.
Time To Rest
"Sleep when you’re dead."
"Cool, but you’re going to be dead a lot sooner."
– Tag2graff
Irrelevant Sadness
"People have it so much worse than you so don’t be sad!"
– notrachelmar
"To that I like to say, 'people have it so much better than you so don't be happy!'"
– ___jupiter____
Your Life Path
"Almost anything relating to what age you must be in order to buy a house, have children, marry, have a profession, or do anything else. Seriously, everyone's life is different from everyone else's. Make your life the way you want it to be. If you so desire. Up to you."
– Frn071
On The Contrary
“Cheaters never prosper”
"Yes, they f'king do."
– waqasnaseem07
People can get out of any situation they find displeasing.
But others feel people should just "stick it out."
Ignoring Bullies
"Just ignore bullys or get someone else to handle it for you. I have never seen this work, only makes it worse. The only effective way I've seen to deal with them is by not making yourself an easy target and make them scared to f'k with you again. If going psycho on their a** is the only thing they'll respond to that's their fault. Also want to add in schools they will punish you for self defense but that punishment is only sitting around a few hours in detention or sitting around at home with a suspension. The punishment is temporary boredom, it's absolutely nothing compared to being bullied and when it's over the important message will still stand that you will not tolerate being a victim."
– User Delted
Remain to be Miserable
"Stick it out"
"Whether that's sh**ty jobs, shi**y relationships, shi**y living situations..."
"By all means don't just give up on things when you face challenges, but if something feels wrong or is wrecking your peace then take some control and change it if you can!"
– petitezoey
"Easy for you to say," might be an auto-response to these suggestions for many people.
Invitation For Recklesslessness
"Live like everyday was your last"
Yall know what people do when they learn they have a single day left to live?"
– LimeGrass619
A Possible Consequence
"I did that as a teenager and ended up homeless and addicted to heroin. Didn’t pan out for me too well."
"19 years sober though today."
– Open-Section-7263
A Practical Approach
"If I knew with certainty that I had one day left, I'd double-check all my financials, my will, and my insurance policies, make sure my wife had all of my passwords and knew where all the money was, spend the rest of the day with her and the kids, then call the medical examiner and ask to lie down on the gurney so that when I die they won't strain their back moving my remains out of my house."
– Asteriad
Nose Stuck In A Book
"Work while they sleep. Study while they party"
"That's not a recipe for success, that's a recipe for a lot of white hairs, burnout syndrome and a stroke before your 40s..."
– Khomuna
Doesn't Apply To Everyone
"Do what you love and money will follow"
"I love walking my dogs and grilling food for my friends but That sh*t doesn't pay the bills as well as my engineering degree!"
– Elons_android
While people's intentions are good, they're better off keeping their two cents in their own pockets.
Not everyone likes to hear platitudes.
Sometimes, people just want to know they're not alone with their problems over listening to unlikely solutions that are nothing more than superficial pick-me-ups.
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Kids start going to school from the age of five, and for the most part, they spend more time at school than at home. Because of that, teachers can become very important figures in the lives of their students.
Some students don't have the best home lives. Some keep it to themselves, but others confide in their teachers.
Curious about various situations, Redditor Delicious_Mastodon83 asked:
"teachers of reddit what is the saddest thing you found out about a student?"
In Need of Parents
"Not a teacher but was a school-based therapist. Had a student (7 -8 y/o) I didn’t know knock on my office door and ask if I’d adopt her and “if you have room, my brother too, but if not, that’s ok, we can be split up. We’re split up now. And I don’t take up space. I just need a sleeping bag”. Broke my heart."
– secretkpr
Heartbreaking, But Industrious
"My mom taught at a school in a bad neighborhood in Chicago in the mid 90’s. There was a second grader that would save his milk and ketchup packers from lunch for his mom so she had something to eat when she got home from work."
– PowerstrokeMe
Big-Hearted Mom
"Not a teacher but a parent with a 9 year old son. Every day I pack extra in my sons lunch because he tells me he has a friend that never has anything to eat. It's winter and my son came home and told me his friend was turning up with shorts and shirt and holes in his shoes. So I sent in a jumper and long pants for him to wear and some slightly used but good condition shoes. I have been up to the school recently and the teacher pulled me aside and thanked me profusely for helping this child. Apparently teachers are not allowed to aid kids they teach here in Australia and they have already reported the issue 3 times to child welfare without results so I was the only one helping this child. The teacher told me before I started sending in more food and clothes, this child would steal others food from their lunches and look through the bins because he was so hungry. They doubt he gets fed at home. So now I make sure to always send an extra lunch and some school clothes/supplies when I can. I can only hope child welfare eventually does something but it breaks my heart."
– spetzie55
Amazing Big Sister
"It was right after winter break and before class started I was just talking with some students and asked if they got anything fun for the holidays. One girl said on no, I don’t ever get presents, my mom is a drug addict. But I went out and got some stuff for my little sister so that she can have a real Christmas."
"She just said it so matter-of-fact. She was so used to being the parent to her little sister that she didn’t even care about her own childhood. It totally broke my heart."
– tonydanzascaulk
The Importance Of Human Affection
"Second hand story from my mom, elementary teacher for 30ish years. She had a hug or a handshake out the door policy, just some small contact and a proper goodbye, and had this young boy who always picked the hug. She wondered why he always went for it, most kids would go back and forth depending on their mood that day, so she asked him why he was always so excited for the end of day hug? His answer, "It's the only one I ever get.""
– needsawholecroissant
Coming Out The Other Side
"Two teenage boys (16/14) with learning disabilities were on my caseload, they never missed school but often ditched class. They were homeless mid-year after they went home from school to find the locks changed, their Mom had abandoned them for a new boyfriend. She didn't leave an address for them to find her."
"*Edit: both eventually dropped out, however a couple of years later the younger brother came back to visit. He and his brother were both working construction, and his brother had gotten married, had a child, and was living with his wife’s family."
"The younger had roommates and was saving for a car. He told me it was a shame I didn’t have kids, because I would make a good Dad."
"People often persevere, even with the odds stacked against them."
– Kursch50
True Parentification
"Not me but my daughter is a teacher, she has lots of stories but one that stands out for me is one of her kindergarten kids saying she was tired and her asking why, the little girl explained that she had been up all night with her mums newborn baby. She did this every night, fed her bottles and everything."
– lb47513343
Luckily, He Was Resilient
"This year I had a 17 year old kid enroll at my school. He was sitting in my math class and I could tell he was struggling. After class I took some extra time to go over a concept with him. I asked him to read the question to me, and he sat there silently. He then looked at me and said “I’m not going to lie to you, I cannot read. I have no idea how to say these words""
"Turned out at age 17 he was illiterate and had been kept out of school by his very religious, controlling parents. Over the past few months he has worked very hard! Now he can finally read at an 8th grade level and he is STILL improving!!"
– User Deleted
A Heroic Teacher
"I worked in an inner city charter school. One of my students (`M10) had a sib (M8) in a lower grade. The mom was there every day in the beginning of the year encouraging them, helping them and generally being very supportive... until a CPS agent spoke to me asking about her behavior. After CPS left things went downhill. The boys showed up late to class even though they lived a half block away from school. When in school both boys were tired from sleeping in the car while their mom "went fishing". She also had two very young girls which she dragged around making the boys take care of them. One day the boys didn't show up and their teacher walked over to the house to find the mom had loaded up the fridge, paid the rent for the month and abandoned them. The teacher (a candidate for sainthood btw) took them in, adopted them and grew them up to be great men."
– mopedarmy
This is really heartbreaking stuff! Luckily, teachers aren't just another adult in your life; they can be your saving grace as well.
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TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains sensitive content about depression and mental health.
As the stigma around mental health lessens (however slowly), people are more forthcoming about the problems they are facing. One of the most common mental health issues is depression.
Depression can affect many different types of people. Factors such as gender, race, nationality, and even age have no bearing on whether someone suffers from depression or not.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, "...an estimated 3.8% of the population affected, including 5.0% among adults and 5.7% among adults older than 60 years..."
Depression displays in certain patterns, such as mood changes, physical difficulties, and social isolation. However, depression manifests differently in different people and feels different to different people.
Reddit users divulged what depression felt like to them when Redditor iodineseaspray asked:
"What does depression feel like to you?"
Some of this is sure to sound familiar.
The Worst Kind Of Boredom
"Like being more bored than you could imagine but also not wanting to do anything at all, even breathe. So you want to do something, but you can't imagine anything that you would like to do so you're just sort of stuck."
– BuddhistSlater
"So you then spend literally hours staring at a blank wall hating yourself, your life, and everything around you. Well, as much hate as you can summon in the absolutely mentally numb state you find yourself sat in day after day."
– merryman1
Lack Of Motivation and Energy
"Complete lack of motivation."
"Ignoring people that I love, and who are trying to help."
"Just sh*t"
– HatFromStraw
"I feel it extra at work. Letting things slide until you either get into trouble or trying last minute to prevent it."
"Funny those times when I'm working to save my butt, the depression goes away and i feel super focused and motivated."
"I try to carry that energy over but no, it's rinse and repeat."
– ExtraBitterSpecial
Powerful Insecurity
"Insecure about absolutely everything, no hope for the future, dissociation from society and not knowing how to “act” anymore, feeling like I’m not as good at the things I always thought I was good at or that the “talent is wasted on me”, only food cheers me up and sometimes even that doesn’t work"
– tenamonth
Loss Of Creativity
"This. It's like some numb fuzziness you feel in your brain. It's the worst thing ever for an artist who just wants to create but your brain comes up dry with a dense fog that wants to just lie down for a few hours"
– FinnProtoyeen
A Mental Inability To Breathe
"For me, it feels like I’m in a lake with a ball chain tied to my feet, desperately swimming up for air, the only problem is the chain isn’t long enough. I can only get an inch of my head out of the water to breath, and as soon as a high tide comes, the water just floods over me and I feel like I can’t breath again. I live like this, constantly feeling like I’m struggling to breathe, weighed down by my own mind. It’s a struggle and I can’t really describe it in any other way, I’m jealous of people who don’t worry about depression"
– DrowningInBrokeness
"Like suffocating under a heavy cloak"
– kmartfreak
"Like being crushed. Like if the air was crushing my muscles and bones and I can’t breathe because I’m being crushed…"
"Kinda like that."
– Afreshnewsketckbook
Listlessness
"Scrolling thru your steam library. Thinking you want to play something, either not settling on anything or not wanting to put the effort into the game. Going back to the scrolling."
– Aistadar
"It feels like you're forced to play a game of Monopoly (represents life) and your just rolling the dice to appease everyone but you genuinely don't care about where you go, where you land, what you pick up, what you pay, what you gain."
"You kind of just watch it happen without interest and while people are cheering or oh no-ing for you, you genuinely don't care. Everyone is a piece on this board that hardly matters and you feel like we're all just running in a circle over and over again and it's boring and disinteresting as hell."
"You lose all curiosity for everything and just let everything happen and pass by you. No motivation, hardly any love, hardly any care. Feels like the world is in black and white and your waiting for the game to end became it's so absolutely boring and disinteresting, but it never does."
"You come to resent the game and eventually hate it because it feels like you're being forced to play it and suffer it's consequences when you never asked to play it in the first place."
"That's what depression felt like for me. Since then I've been medicated and recieved therapy. I'm doing a lot better now and I don't feel this way anymore, thankfully."
- KnlghtLlghts
A Relation To Fantasy
"You know that scene in the Lord of the Rings where Bilbo is describing to Galndalf what having the Ring all those years felt like? "I feel thin. Like too much jam spread over too much bread." That's honestly the best way I've seen to describe it."
– Electrical_Age_336
"I always say the closest thing to compare it to is a dementor in harry potter. It sucks every ounce of happiness out of you until there is only darkness left."
"Side note: chocolate always helps"
– sunfacer
Fear Of Lack Of Justification
"Like someone close to you died yesterday. Expect no one has, and nothing has happened to justify how you feel."
– AlterEdward
A Physical Pain
"Physical pain in my heart, will start crying just by attending to the physical sensation in my body."
– sagieday
Help Yourself
"I've always described it as having a shadow fixed to your brain which fuels things like indecision and negativity. You can do things to temporarily help but you can't truly shift it. Previous normality is forgotten. But it's amazing how much you can mask it."
"I found I didn't realise how bad I was until I started to get better"
"For anyone suffering with depression. Please, please speak to someone. Best thing I ever did"
– DavosLostFingers
Depression isn't something you can just deal with or get over. Learning to cope is not easy. However, as Redditor DavosLostFingers pointed out, talking to someone can literally save your life.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression, contact the American Psychological Association by phone at 800.374.2721 or 202.336.5500.
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