Indeed. I have suffered depression and just the idea of writing a list was too much.

At times I did literally nothing for days at a time until I was forced to. I didn't eat anything that wasn't already in the house and that I could just open and consume.

I remember thinking to myself "maybe playing on the PS3 will cheer me up" but the PS3 wasn't setup and so for three days I didn't get it from upstairs and set it up on my TV. Instead I just lay on the sofa and watched shit on tv thinking about setting it up but never actually doing it because just getting off the sofa and walking upstairs to get the PS3 was too fucking much for me to deal with. I would have to actually move and go upstairs, I would have to find the console, then find the controller, then the HDMI cable and power cable and the USB cable to charge the controller as the battery would be flat. Then find my games. And oh god pick a game from which meant making a choice from several options. If I managed to do all of that I would still have to move the TV so I could hook it up, was there a plug socket for the PS3 free? If not I would have to find somewhere else to plug it in or find an extension cord. It was all emotionally too much.

That was depression for me. Being overwhelmed at just the idea of hooking up a PS3 to the TV. Trying to do any kind of cognitive introspection and writing a list wouldn't have even registered.

People give all kinds of advice trying to help but you can tell those that have actually been diagnosed with depression and those that self-diagnose from the advice they offer.

Go for a walk. Do some exercise. Make an action plan. Try meditation. Cook a meal you love. Do something you have always enjoyed like watch you favourite movie or play your favourite game.

Sorry I know people are trying to help but when you are in that deep depression there is no "favourite" movie or book or video game anymore. There is the depression and nothing else. It is a void. An anaesthesia of your emotions and executive function while you remain awake but reaction-less.

Edit: I also wanted to say that while I disagree with a lot of what Brie wrote in her article I don't want to come across as invalidating how she was feeling.

Obviously we all experience things differently, however as far as I can tell she was not officially diagnosed and so while it is very possible she would have been diagnosed with depression it is also very possible she was "in a funk" due to how Covid changed the world the past ~20 months.

I know many people that suffered from very 'depression-like' problems after their lifestyle was changed without their desire or permission with lockdowns, working from home, not seeing friends or family as usual, etc. While they were very down they were not depressed and everyone I know that experienced this managed to find ways, like Brie, to handle the unexpected and unwelcome changes to their lives during the pandemic.

Reading the article comes across more of Brie experiencing this "Covid funk" (for want of a better name) than full on depression. Of course I could be wrong but without a proper diagnosis at the time Brie could also be wrong and I find it a bit uncomfortable when people describe themselves as depressed then proceed to say how going on long runs and being highly organised with post-it note systems helped them break their depression and "get their mind back".