Darkness to Dialogue: Living Well With Mental Illness

Unseen Struggles, Silent Signals, and What We Can Do to Recognize Depression Beyond the Surface I’ve spent years learning that depression doesn’t always look like sadness or tears. There were days I showed up, smiled, and told everyone I was fine, while inside, even getting out of bed felt monumental. I know what it’s like to hide the heaviness, to feel ashamed for struggling, and to long for someone to truly see me. Sharing this now isn’t easy, but I hope it helps others understand that living with depression isn’t a matter of laziness; it’s a quiet courage that too few notice. Depression isn’t just about feeling sad; it’s a complex, often misunderstood condition that shapes daily life, relationships, and self-worth.  Too often, society only sees the surface, leaving the quiet struggles invisible. In this post, we uncover the hidden aspects of living with depression, from the invisible effort it takes to function to the misconceptions that keep people silent. 1. When “I...

"The Untold Side" 2025 Quarterly Edition “The workplace often rewards the very behaviors that hide our suffering.” This investigative feature focuses on burnout and high-functioning depression in the workplace, a topic that aligns closely with The Untold Side's mission . These experiences are often: misunderstood minimized completely overlooked This can occur in professional environments where external productivity can mask deep internal struggles.  High-functioning depression doesn’t always “look like” depression, which makes it easier for both individuals and systems to ignore it, and harder for people to ask for help. By exploring how the pressure to perform can silence mental health challenges, especially among survivors and those in recovery, this feature highlights the critical gaps in how workplaces respond to emotional well-being . It asks difficult questions about what we reward, what we miss, and who gets left behind in conversations about wellness. These are e...