5 Slam poems about depression

In this blog we present to you some slam poems about depression.

We also briefly discuss what depression is and what can be done to treat depression. 

Slam poems about depression

Here are some slam poems about depression:

The Key by Allie

Depression.

Is lying. 

It’s me telling you I’m fine when inside 

I’m dying, 

Faking a laugh just to keep from 

crying.

Rest assured,

this inability to move is NOT 

from LACK of trying.

I try to explain but your words are denying.

“Happiness is a choice,” 

“You’re not trying hard enough,”

“Cheer up,”

“You have nothing to be depressed about”

No one would choose this. 

I’ve been fighting for 5 years.

I wish it were that easy.

And I know.

That’s the problem.

You don’t see

The demons,

Or hear

the lies,

Or feel 

the weight

That’s crushing me inside. 

Because I hide.

We say:

When did our society decide to ignore 

This disease of the mind?

When did our default

Become believing the “I’m fine?”

When will we all open our eyes

And cease being blind

To the life behind the mask 

and the hurt behind the laugh?

Or maybe?

We should stop just saying “I’m fine.”

Maybe we must choose to stop our own lying.

Maybe it’s not you, but me who’s denying.

Sure sometimes I hear words 

that do anything but help

to soothe the pain,

But maybe you could learn 

if I only tried to teach.

Maybe the problem isn’t you, 

Just maybe…it’s me. 

Which is why I’ve decided to tell you what’s real

I’m hurting

I’m struggling

Sometimes I’m suffocating

But maybe all you need is a little education

Maybe I feel alone because I’ve decided not to let you in

Maybe you’ve approached my door, 

and I just haven’t opened. 

Maybe it’s not you, 

Just maybe, it’s me. 

And maybe everything would change, 

If I just showed you my door’s key. 

The hard truth about depression 

On the worst days, 

Depression is nothing at all. 

It’s a fog clouding my every thought and emotion until the fog is so thick I can’t breathe. 

I can’t find a way to break free. 

I’ve become dead 

Inside

no more alive than my grandma

Only she is now free

and I’m not. 

I’m trapped in my room

Which though once filled with light and life

Is now darker than the cells of prisoners

Only they are alone

And I’m not. 

I’m stuck with this demon inside. 

Depression is possession. 

I’m just an object 

owned by my mind’s lies. 

Obsession. 

These thoughts race around in my mind until I’ve become blind. 

I can’t look ahead so I turn to behind. 

To the past.

But there, everything was a mistake,

Every choice I make

Each chance I take

Was wrong

Is wrong.

Regrets,

Never ending streams of regrets 

Flowing faster than the water rushing down my face

as I shower,

trying to erase the inadequacy with the dirt. 

hoping this sound will 

will drown out and replace

the whispers 

that embrace

surround

and suffocate me

Only the dirt washes away,

And the shame doesn’t.

On the best days,

I forget

Depression even exists

I’m more than ok.

I’m not just trying to survive.

On these days, I thrive.

Because I truly feel alive.

On the good days, 

I forget the demons

And ignore the lies

And fight the power that tries to crush me inside.

My bedroom is not my prison cell 

but my personal sanctuary

I’m no longer trapped inside,

But able to run free.

On the best days, 

I don’t feel controlled by this terrible disease

Sure it’s always there, 

and you could say it is part of me,

but sometimes even I forget that

mental illness is not an identity. 

But in my fear that I’d be judged,

scorned,

Or looked down upon.

I built walls around my insecurity,

And hoped they would protect me.

Instead of a shelter, though

I built myself a prison.

Eventually, though,

I realised I could no longer stand to live alone.

 Which is why I’ve decided to tell you what’s real.

I’m hurting,

I’m struggling,

Sometimes I’m suffocating,

But maybe all you need is a little education.

Maybe I feel alone because I’ve built walls so high you can’t get in.

You have knocked, but I chose not to open. 

I was the one ignoring you, and not you me

And I’m hoping I can make that change, 

By revealing my door’s key. 

You can watch her slam poetry performance here 

Explaining my depression to my mother: a conversation by Sabrina Benaim

Mom, my depression is a shapeshifter

One day it’s as small as a firefly in the palm of a bear

The next it’s the bear

On those days I play dead until the bear leaves me alone

I call the bad days “the Dark Days”

Mom says, “try lighting candles”

But when I see a candle, I see the flesh of a church

The flicker of a flame

Sparks of a memory younger than noon

I am standing beside her open casket

It is the moment I learn every person I ever come to know will someday die

Besides Mom, I’m not afraid of the dark, perhaps that’s part of the problem

Mom says, “I thought the problem was that you can’t get out of bed”

I can’t, anxiety holds me a hostage inside of my house, inside of my head

Mom says, “Where did anxiety come from?”

Anxiety is the cousin visiting from out of town that depression felt obligated to invite to the party

Mom, I am the party, only I am a party I don’t want to be at

Mom says, “Why don’t you try going to actual parties, see your friends”

Sure I make plans, I make plans but I don’t want to go

I make plans because I know I should want to go; I know sometimes I would have wanted to go

It’s just not that fun having fun when you don’t want to have fun, Mom

You see, Mom, each night Insomnia sweeps me up in his arms, dips me in the kitchen in the small glow of the stove-light

Insomnia has this romantic way of making the moon feel like perfect company

Mom says, “Try counting sheep”

But my mind can only count reasons to stay awake

So I go for walks, but my stuttering kneecaps clank like silver spoons held in strong arms with loose wrists

They ring in my ears like clumsy church bells, reminding me I am sleepwalking on an ocean of happiness that I cannot baptize myself in

Mom says, “Happy is a decision”

But my happy is as hollow as a pin pricked egg

My happy is a high fever that will break

Mom says, I am so good at making something out of nothing and then flat out asks me if I am afraid of dying

No Mom I am afraid of living

Mom I am lonely

I think I learned that when Dad left how to turn the anger into lonely the lonely into busy

So when I say I’ve been super busy lately I mean I’ve been falling asleep watching SportsCenter on the couch

To avoid confronting the empty side of my bed

But my depression always drags me back to my bed

Until my bones are the forgotten fossils of a skeleton sunken city

My mouth a boneyard of teeth broken from biting down on themselves

The hollow auditorium of my chest swoons with echoes of a heartbeat

But I am just a careless tourist here. 

You can watch her performance here

Depression by ClickforTaz

It’s not that I don’t want to be happy it’s that despite my best efforts I can’t bring myself to be happy.

I feel suffocated, embarrassed, ashamed, 

Why did I have to be this way.

I have a great family, amazing friends, good academic results – on paper everything is okay

Yet all I ever seem to see is sadness and grey

It’s like there’s a constant burden on you pulling you to the ground 

and however hard you try you can’t bring yourself out

You can’t bring yourself to care – about anything – not me, not him, not her 

Living has become the constant nightmare. 

And it’s just not fair.

Society will tell you to try yoga, go for a walk, listen to meditation.

I tell them that this cannot be solved by exercise or medication.

It’s a disease that affects every aspect of my life, – my relationships, my work, my education.

And even to this day despite my best efforts to explain – 

I am met with blind hesitation.

They ask me why are you always sad, I tell them I don’t know…I don’t know

What I do know is that I wake up everyday feeling like absolutely shit – and that that’s become my norm.

I’m afraid of the outside world, afraid of putting my guard down in the fear that I will be judged for something that I cannot control

Where’s the fairness of it all?

Do you think I enjoy to watch myself fall?

Into this hole of self hate, shame and loathe

So I just hide and put up a wall

That’s so high, you will never see my pain or any of my flaws – I create this character and she is perfect, she’s invincible. 

And so I live these two different lives, one for the public and one just for me late at night 

Cos that’s easier than admitting you have a problem – and that’s the problem.

The stigma is real people

And it will not go away until we realise that mental health IS a big deal.

It’s a hidden disease thats affecting so many lives, wake up and listen to the silent cries

It’s the kid that never speaks or the guy who’s always tired, 

The lady who’s too emotional or that man who just got fired 

cos he was absent a lot – he couldn’t get out of bed due to his mental health 

but do you think any of his colleagues knew that – course not.

Depression is the hell inside of me and it eats me up daily.

You can watch her performance on her youtube channel here

What is Depression?

Depression or clinically known as major depressive disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders, is a  serious mood disorder where people affected by it experience persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. 

Apart from these emotional distress, people with depression can also experience physical symptoms such as chronic pain, or changes in their behaviour such as social withdrawal or slowed movements.

For someone to be diagnosed with clinical depression, symptoms must be present for at least two weeks. Let us look at the various symptoms that must meet the criteria for a diagnosis of depression. 

Signs and symptoms of depression include:

• Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day- either by their own observation or observation made by others.
• Diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.
• Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
• Insomnia or hypersomnia. 
• A slowing down of thought and a reduction of physical movement (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.
• Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

To be diagnosed with depression, these symptoms must cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. 

These symptoms should also not be the result of substance abuse or another medical condition.

What can be done to treat depression?

A few things that we can do on an individual’s level to manage and maintain our mental health include:

Seek out therapeutic care

Understanding your condition and diagnosis and Engaging with a therapist, being diligent with your medication, and making the changes you need to make to get better will determine your prognosis.

Your therapist will help you understand what is happening to you, might prescribe you medication if needed, and can help you tap into your own strengths that can help you adapt to challenges, changes, and overcome them.

Join a support group

Another thing you can do for yourself is to join a support group of people struggling with depression so that you can experience emotional support first hand within these communities and over time learn how to manage your challenges by learning from each other. 

By joining a group that is open, empathetic, and growing towards healing, you and your experiences can be an excellent sense of support to someone else who is also in their early part of their journey. 

Actively seek positive experiences

According to positive psychology research, positive feelings are an important aspect of well-being. For a person to engage in activities and other experiences that help them feel positive feelings such as love, belongingness, achievement, and a sense of hope is important.

Take active action to seek out these positive experiences in yoru day to day life. Even if you do not want to, even if your body is refusing to- take that chance for yourself and choose to do something that makes you feel less miserable. 

This could be as simple as watching a movie, petting your cat, taking your dog for a walk, eating ice cream. Do what makes you happy without judging yourself for these choices.

Spend time with friends

Once you feel like you are up for it, take time to seek out support from your friends, family, and loved ones. Positive relationships are also important for wellbeing. 

Talk to them about how you are feeling, allow them to get distracted while doing fun things together. Let them provide you company when you do not want to be alone- take effort to reach out to them. 

Allow yourself to feel loved by people who genuinely care for you and seek out new meaning from these positive and healthy relationships. 

Focus on self care

Take time to eat well, rest well, exercise, give time to yourself to think and engage in things you used to like doing before you started working- be it reading comics, or playing video games, or walking your pet.

Take effort to engage in things that you love doing, explore new activities if you feel like it and explore the world around you. 

Conclusion

References

“The Key”. Digital poet. Retrieved on 13th April 2022. https://www.digitalpoet.net/the-key.html