Has anyone tried faking it until you make it?

[Pryras]

I mean pretending everything is fine and pretending to feel motivated and care about yourself. Maybe even partaking in self care routines you've never cared about? Finding the motivation to even pretend when you have depression is incredibly difficult but possible.

I have only ever applied this to my relationships and it's worked in the moment to keep the peace but the resentment would grow behind the scenes. It would be fine until something disturbed me and I'd crash. I wonder if it would be the same result if I tried faking being happy

 

[nogods4me]

For a while...tried being the operative word.

Spoiler alert: I didn't make it.

 

[Namelesa]

For me it doesn't work. It just tires you out more and that will build up to a point where you can't take it anymore and feel worse than when you started doing it.

 

[MidnightCat]

I was faking it for a long, long time. Years.

But it arrived a moment I snapped and I wasn't able to keep faking it.

 

[whitetaildeer]

i've been doing this for a year now, and i think this is one thing that's helped me be one of the less depressive people on this site. i used to never brush my teeth, wash my face, brush my hair, etc.; i'd go at least 2 weeks before showering which is... obscenely gross. now, i shower every day, and do the bare minimum self-care as well, when i really just don't care about self-care or even my own well-being at all. i also seldom vent to people and i always pretend that things are fine. if i feel awful, i trick myself into either feeling content or nothing at all by distracting myself with a project, hobby, or literally anything more productive than letting myself feel awful.

there's going to be sporadic points in time where you won't be able to fake it. that could be for hours; that could be for a whole day. but most of the time, this does work.

 

[human909]

I am also faking that i'm motivated but i'm starting to feel like that is getting lost soon and people will soon start to see me as depressed, which makes me worry that i will lose more of my friends.

 

[flkywch]

i can't fake making chemicals my brain refuses to produce, i feel nothing and/or negative emotions 24/7

 

[Pryras]

i've been doing this for a year now, and i think this is one thing that's helped me be one of the less depressive people on this site. i used to never brush my teeth, wash my face, brush my hair, etc.; i'd go at least 2 weeks before showering which is... obscenely gross. now, i shower every day, and do the bare minimum self-care as well, when i really just don't care about self-care or even my own well-being at all. i also seldom vent to people and i always pretend that things are fine. if i feel awful, i trick myself into either feeling content or nothing at all by distracting myself with a project, hobby, or literally anything more productive than letting myself feel awful.

there's going to be sporadic points in time where you won't be able to fake it. that could be for hours; that could be for a whole day. but most of the time, this does work.

I went through the same bed rotting stage where you just give fuck all about anything. I didn't shower for a week and I wore the same clothes everyday. Developed ulcers from stress and malnutrition bc I was eating fast food for dinner for weeks. i am less gross now and shower but its so hard!!

Literally after the most recent trauma happened I never even cried. Immediately started thinking of suicide and floating in existing not registering anything that happened. It does help In a way

 

[Warkman1]

I mean pretending everything is fine and pretending to feel motivated and care about yourself. Maybe even partaking in self care routines you've never cared about? Finding the motivation to even pretend when you have depression is incredibly difficult but possible.

I have only ever applied this to my relationships and it's worked in the moment to keep the peace but the resentment would grow behind the scenes. It would be fine until something disturbed me and I'd crash. I wonder if it would be the same result if I tried faking being happy

I "wear" a smile daily, i don't know if it's for the benefit of those i care for or for the benefit of myself. i don't understand where my depression comes from but i know i don't seem to be able to express it in the real world. As far as everyone is aware, I am completely fine. Inside i feel down, sad and i suffer intrusive thoughts. I am starting therapy and i hope it can bring me back and help me to rediscover the person i once was. i actually liked that guy, i despise the man i am currently.