A Queen's Opinion Podcast
A Queen’s Opinion is a podcast that allows people, especially women, to think aloud about life situations and seek an opinion without being judged. No more thinking about or questioning a situation by yourself. Ask the Queen.
A Queen's Opinion Podcast
Depression vs. Disappointment
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Speaker 2:Welcome to A Queen's Opinion. My name is Queen. This episode we are talking about disappointment or depression. What is the difference between disappointment and depression? I'm not a doctor. That's the first thing I want to say in this episode. I have no medical degree and no medical education. The only medical knowledge I know about is my life and my body. So let's get that straight right up front.
Speaker 2:I'm always hearing people saying he or she is so depressed. I think the term is misused and overused. At the same time as I talk to people throughout everyday conversations, somewhere during the day, a person is going to tell me they know someone who is depressed, and when they go on to tell me about what they're so depressed about, I think to myself is that really depression? Are many people living life as depressed people? I wanted to take this opportunity to try to shed a little light on the difference between the two words. I think most of the time, people have disappointing and not depressing experiences. They are feeling disappointed and not depressed. They are experiencing disappointment and not depression. So let's jump right into the differences.
Speaker 2:I think you must define each word as it is in the dictionary so that you can have a full understanding and hopefully at the end, use the right word when describing a situation or a person. I want to start with the word disappointment. Disappointment is defined as sadness or displeasure caused by non-fulfillment of one's hopes and expectations. The dictionary also lists similar words for the term disappointment. Those similar words include sadness, regret, dismay and sorrow, just to name a few.
Speaker 2:For example, your girlfriend gives you a call. She is crying and very upset and she says I don't know if I can take it anymore. She begins to tell you that her new boyfriend of six months just broke up with her and left her in a bad situation. He left her with bills and now she is struggling to get the money to pay all those extra bills he put on her and her household before walking out. Now this sounds like a situation that may be depressing, but I see it differently. What I heard is that your girlfriend is very upset, pissed off, mad and feeling a little regret for even allowing this man to move into her household and not carry his weight. This situation is disappointing from my perspective. She is feeling disappointment in herself for allowing this to happen. She is feeling regret that she let herself be put in this situation, and I'm sure she is pretty sad as well. She is not the first nor the last woman to be mishandled and mistreated by a man. Disappointment is the right word for this particular situation. When this type of situation was shared with me, the person who was telling me the story said that their girlfriend was so depressed that she couldn't even think straight. She went as far as to say her friend was crying and doing things out of her character. To get back at the man, but I don't think this situation is depressing. I told that person that we might need to stop saying she is depressed and call it for what it is. She is disappointed. She is feeling disappointment in herself, the situation and her choice of a man.
Speaker 2:Now let's discuss the word depression. According to the dictionary, the word is from a Latin word, deprimere, which means to press down. The dep means down and primere means to press the word itself. Depression sounds just like the meaning to press down. The word itself sounds heavy.
Speaker 2:Whenever I think of the word depression, I think of very dark thoughts, strong emotions of sadness, unhappiness and no will to live or do anything. In the dictionary it says the word depression means feelings of severe despondency and dejection. Similar words to further express depression include hopelessness. Similar words to further express depression include hopelessness, misery, gloom and failure. An example of depression could be feelings from the loss of a mother, father, child or another loved one in your life. A person you had loved for your whole life is no longer in your life, a person that took great care of you or that you took care of. This person was with you through the good and the tough times. This type of situation of loss could be very serious to your life. You could feel depression from not having anyone to share your life with anymore. Some people even experience depression from a loss of a pet. The pet was with them through the same type of tough times and loneliness. We can even see the depression in their face, body, voice, activities and words. Depression can be a serious medical situation for some people. I believe if you are unable to handle those strong emotions, then you need to seek help. Many people in my culture will suffer depression because they don't want anyone to know they can't deal with the issue. Stress or situation that calls them to feel so pressed down and heavy they will suffer in silence. Then you have those folks who have taught themselves methods of coping through self-taught techniques. Is this good or bad? Probably not, but it's good for them. I want you to hear the difference between disappointment and depression. In the definition of depression it says severe despondency and dejection. I want you to focus on the word severe. The word severe itself means intense. Similar words like brutal, harsh and critical harsh and critical. So for me, depression is disappointment on steroids, three times worse than anything that has happened in your life at that time.
Speaker 2:Depression is not something you want to use lightly in a conversation about yourself or someone else's feelings. Our perspective of what is going on in other people's lives may not be as severe as you see it, but the person is so hurt, frustrated and disappointed that they may use words out of context, triggering you to think they are depressed. They may even say to think they are depressed. They may even say girl, I am so depressed over this situation. This is why I say the word is misused and overused sometimes.
Speaker 2:All I would say right now is that if your friend is telling you they are depressed, I want you to think about it. Talk it out with them and help them understand that their situation may not be as serious or as critical as they may think. Let them know they have a friend in you and let them know that you are there for them and you will help them in any way that you can. Many times, just letting someone know you are with them and you have their back is enough to help them see. They have a way out and it's not as bad as they may have thought. But I also want to say that if your friend is experiencing deep depression, help them find the right doctor. Hell, go with them to see a doctor. Encourage them to go to the doctor for relief and clarity. Your encouragement can mean so much. It could be the beginning of getting out of their funk, their depression. No-transcript.
Speaker 2:A Queen's Opinion is a podcast that allows people, especially women, to think out loud about life situations and seek an opinion without being judged. Encourage you to be the best person you can be, to inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and into your queen zone. I didn't say my opinion will solve your problems. I am not saying that I am right, but what I am saying is I'm going to give you another view of the situation from a distance. No more thinking or questioning a situation by yourself. Ask the queen. Go to our website wwwaquingsopinioncom, and click on Get In Touch to leave your feedback or leave a question for the queen. Don't forget to like us wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you for taking time out of your day. I hope you join me for our next episode. Until then, goodbye.