I used to think that sadness was what happened when it was raining on a clear day. When a beloved pet died, when your favorite book is ruined.
I am smarter now.
Sadness is a weight. It is a mix of many things, actually. Self-hatred. Perfectionism. Indifference. Loss. They all make up the cake of sadness. That cake appears when the pressures of the world start to close in. When a dear friend turns from you. When you notice all of the flaws in yourself rather than the gifts.
It is a blanket, covering you completely. Smothering you. You try to fight it, but eventually you can’t anymore. You give in to the crushing weight, drown in the sea. You stop taking care of yourself, stop brushing your hair and teeth. You stop eating, stop trying to fill that void. You stop getting up in the mornings, stop caring about life. To you, life is just another day of trying new medications and struggling through, waiting for death.
Until you can’t wait anymore.