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You know deep down that you're 
struggling. 

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You've been having symptoms of 
depression, but they're not 

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stopping you from living your 
life. 

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Sure, some tasks are more 
difficult. 

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Getting out of bed in the 
morning is hard. 

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Falling asleep at night is 
harder. 

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You've been self isolating. 
But you're not depressed because

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you're still functional, right? 
The depression isn't showing up 

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in the way that you would expect
it to, so you don't need to help

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your mental health, do you? 
Unfortunately, mental illness is

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not that simple. 
Sometimes it hides behind a 

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facade of normalcy. 
It lurks beneath the surface, 

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plaguing you just enough to 
cause inner turmoil, but not 

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enough to make you really pay 
attention. 

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High functioning depression is a
real problem and can be just as 

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detrimental as any other mental 
illness. 

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So join me today and let's talk 
about high functioning 

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depression, what it is, how it 
can impact us and what we can do

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to help ourselves deal with it. 
My name is Ethan Jewell and 

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welcome back to Feel Your 
Feelings. 

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It would be a lot easier if 
mental illness was really cut 

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and dry. 
You could identify exactly how 

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you feel, how you display how 
you feel and be able to move on 

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from there. 
But unfortunately it isn't 

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always so easy. 
Psychologist Don Potter states 

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depression isn't always 
something you can see in others 

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or pinpoint easily in yourself. 
For some people, depression 

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lives under the surface. 
It can be extremely challenging 

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to go about your day-to-day, but
to the rest of the world, you 

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seem to be doing reasonably 
well. 

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This is referred to as high 
functioning depression and will 

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be the topic for today's 
episode. 

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For some, depression can be 
fully debilitating, making them 

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unable to get out of bed, unable
to go to work, unable to 

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maintain connections and see 
friends. 

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This is understood and seen as 
an acceptable form of mental 

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illness. 
After all, it's relatively 

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visible to other people, so that
completely validates it. 

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What happens when other people 
can't see the symptoms? 

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What happens when the symptoms 
of depression linger under the 

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surface, but don't fully stop 
you from engaging with your life

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as you normally do? 
This is where the problem with 

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high functioning depression 
lies. 

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These symptoms still exist under
the surface. 

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These could include feeling sad 
or hopeless, becoming 

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disinterested in passions, 
trouble sleeping, difficulty 

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concentrating, negative thoughts
about yourself or others. 

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The truth is, high functioning 
depression can often feel the 

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same as major depressive 
disorder, although somebody 

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might not appear that way. 
Someone struggling with high 

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functioning depression, maybe 
barely hanging on by a thread. 

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The difference is almost like an
external versus internal injury.

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If you break a leg or an arm, 
everyone will be able to see and

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know. 
But if you have some kind of 

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illness or disease inside 
without many external symptoms, 

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nobody will know and accommodate
and sympathize and be there for 

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you, even though you are 
struggling as well. 

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This difference in handling 
symptoms can vary from person to

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person. 
Some people might be able to 

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mask the symptoms and be high 
functioning, potentially 

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convincing themselves that 
nothing is wrong. 

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After all, other people 
seemingly have it worse and are 

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struggling more. 
So why would I need to address 

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my depression? 
That's the mindset I lived with 

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for many years. 
I've struggled a lot with 

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depression and at times was 
incredibly high functioning. 

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I went on multiple national 
tours for my music while feeling

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very depressed. 
I would work a 16 hour tour days

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while dealing with intense heavy
depression symptoms. 

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I felt worn down to the bone. 
This is a silent killer. 

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On the surface. 
You may convince yourself that 

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you don't need to address this 
kind of depression. 

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If you're getting things done. 
Who cares if you feel a little 

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bad? 
But that couldn't be further 

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from the truth. 
Untreated depression and the 

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chronic stress, fatigue, and 
sadness caused by it can 

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literally destroy you from the 
inside out. 

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Some studies have found that 
untreated depression can lead to

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aches and pains, chronic 
fatigue, changes in appetite, 

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and digestive issues. 
By ignoring these symptoms, you 

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can literally experience more 
pain and fatigue in your body. 

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This is not just a mental issue.
It's not something you can just 

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ignore. 
It goes deeper than that. 

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This can affect every aspect of 
your life. 

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This can affect your ability to 
get out of the bed in the 

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morning without aches and pains.
Not only that, but no matter how

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high functioning you may think 
you are, this kind of depression

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will silently affect your 
relationships and achievements. 

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Because you are burdened by the 
underlying exhaustion and 

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struggle that comes with high 
functioning depression, you 

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often won't feel the energy or 
have the time to pour into other

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people or activities. 
Your hobbies will become less of

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a priority. 
Seeing friends or family may 

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become less of a priority all 
because you are struggling and 

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not addressing it. 
I don't want to sound dramatic, 

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but this is a real issue. 
A very real issue. 

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I want you to take this as a 
wake up call. 

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If you've been struggling with 
symptoms of depression but have 

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been convincing yourself it 
isn't that bad because you can 

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still function, please do 
something about it. 

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Acknowledge that your depression
and your struggle is just as 

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real as anybody else's, 
regardless of how functioning 

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you are. 
This process of recovery and 

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changing your mindset looks 
different for everyone, but I 

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recommend first educating 
yourself about this illness. 

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Look up high functioning 
depression and what you can do 

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if it's available for you. 
Look into options for therapy. 

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Practice self empathy and 
self-care. 

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Allow yourself to feel bad and 
don't feel like you have to keep

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pushing through it. 
Build a support system and 

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express how you feel to loved 
ones. 

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This is a very real issue. 
It's something that I personally

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wrote off for years and years. 
After all, if I could still 

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function so well with this 
depression that was plaguing me,

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why would I seek help? 
There are other people out there

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struggling more. 
Somebody else's struggle does 

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not affect you just because 
somebody else may be struggling 

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more with depression. 
Just because somebody else may 

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be having a harder time in life,
doesn't invalidate your own 

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fight. 
So please take high functioning 

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depression seriously. 
If you or somebody you know 

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seems to be struggling with 
this, able to function well 

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while suffering internally, 
please address it. 

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Take it seriously. 
Do research on what you can do, 

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tell friends and family, but 
take it seriously. 

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You do not have to struggle 
silently and alone. 

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You do not have to be convinced 
that you're doing fine just 

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because you can complete your 
tasks. 

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It is OK to lean and to help. 
It is OK to have a hard day. 

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It is. 
OK, that's gonna wrap it up for 

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today's episode. 
Thank you so much for being 

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here. 
If you need more help feeling 

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your feelings, I recommend 
checking my music out on all 

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platforms under the name of 
Ethan Jewel. 

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I've got a new song called Do 
You Wanna Fall In Love coming 

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out August 16th and I think you 
might really enjoy it. 

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Also, shoot me a message on my 
Instagram at Jewel Boy under 

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score and let me know what you 
thought about today's episode. 

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So thank you so much for being 
here. 

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Thank you for understanding that
high functioning depression is 

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still depression. 
And as always, thank you for 

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feeling your feelings. 
I'll see you next time.