Is Birthday depression a thing?

With my birthday approaching, I just can’t help but talk about this. Yes, Birthday depression is a thing. 

The feeling is not pleasant I must say, It entails feeling lonelier on a day you are meant to feel loved, cherished and appreciated, especially when it appears as the only day you get noticed, feeling like a burden to your friends and family, feeling sad, underachieved, less enthusiastic as the days roll by, feeling anxious beforehand and on the day itself. Yes, that is birthday depression.

It is certainly not a good feeling, honestly.

Over the last decade, I think I have only really felt that birthday vibe twice and that was 2020 and 2021. It was like the first time I felt loved by a lot of persons and it felt so genuine, the thoughtful gifts I got, the heartfelt messages, calls and everything. 

I honestly didn’t want the day to come to an end. 

 

So why do birthdays come with so much anxiety/depression?

 

• Too much attention.

While some persons may like a big, noisy event, Others may prefer otherwise as they don’t do well with too much attention, I for one always want my things unique, real and genuine and less crowded, so when a group of people I don’t really flow with starts texting and calling on that day it becomes overwhelming. 

 

• Feeling like a burden to others. 

I mean, any body can post your pictures and write a caption but are the words genuine? Do they mean it or are they just doing it to fulfill all righteousness?

 

• Burn out.

Birthday depression is sometimes caused by burnout, you are expected to reply everybody, not miss a post about yourself and sometimes engage in social activities you probably do not want to.

• Feeling underachieved.

It’s common to measure our success with our age. 

And there are people who will use every given opportunity to remind you you’re aging especially on your birthday.

Here are some people who are more prone to having birthday depression.

• People with No friends or family members.

• Introverts. 

• People with fake friends.

• People with Anxiety 

• People with too much expectations 

 

So what is the solution and what do I do now?

• I don’t allow myself feel underachieved because it’s not healthy, as long as I am striving hard each and everyday to make progress, I will be content. Instead of counting your losses, count your wins, no matter how small they are.

 

• I celebrate it how I want.

Finding the best way to celebrate is very important, it doesn’t matter if your friends want something different, I mean, it’s your day (duh) and it is acceptable to be a bit selfish. Don’t you think so?

 

• I Keep things simple, I don’t over plan and stress myself, remember, you should be having fun.

 

• I banish that thought that makes me believe I’m disturbing people with the whole fuss, the thought that makes me feel I’m not deserving of all the attention and affection because we all do.

 

• I avoid high expectations.

 

• I Try to be positive and grateful because another year is a blessing and not a cause to panic or fret.  

Have you ever experienced birthday depression, still experiencing it? I’d love to know how you’ve coped so far down in the comment section. Thanks for engaging this post. As always;

Aj loves you 💕