Although depression affects millions of people worldwide, it’s not always easy to detect.
According to Healthline, nearly 350 million people worldwide will be affected by the illness in their lifetime. Still, our culture has a certain stereotype of what depression and anxiety looks like. There’s the image of someone who never leaves their house, always looks visibly upset or low energy and who is curled up in their bed. Unfortunately, there’s a huge gulf when it comes to understanding that depression can affect literally anyone—and it’s not always clear from surface appearances.
That was the case in one story out of Manchester, New Hampshire.
In 2014, a woman named Bekah Georgy was struggling seriously with depression.
Throughout her life, Georgy had dealt with a number of mental health issues including anorexia, depression and anxiety. As anyone who has struggled with mental illness knows, these problems are never truly “cured.” They may lay in remission for some time but they can just as easily flare up again. That was the case for Georgy, as she once again found herself experiencing suicidal thoughts. She had made a decision to take her own life.
Though she was set on the decision, Georgy had an experience in a coffee shop which altered her course.
As a result of an anorexia flare-up, Georgy felt she could only comfortably drink coffee rather than eat.
To that end, she went into a local Starbucks to get a drink. She had just come out of a particularly bad therapy session and was feeling despondent as she ordered her coffee. Because the anorexia had gotten so bad, Georgy was wearing a nasogastric feeding tube into the shop that day. As she got her coffee, she wasn’t ready for the surprise she received.
Instead of her name written on the cup, the barista had written “smile.”
Although Georgy was having a hard time, the fact that the barista had acknowledged her inner struggle that day gave her hope.
She later posted about the event on her Facebook, detailing the encounter at length:
“Maybe you wrote ‘smile’ on my drink because you saw the feeding tube. Or maybe you could see past my fake smile because you’ve been where I am. Either way, I’m grateful. You didn’t have to make my order special. You could have treated me like another annoying customer. But you took that extra second to add some positivity to a life that’s been filled with so much negativity lately.”
Although the struggle with mental illness is a difficult one, it’s important to remember that we’re not alone.
By simply reaching out that day, the barista had a significant effect on Georgy’s mood and reminded her that she didn’t have to go through her issues alone. Now, Georgy works as a nanny who specializes in eating disorders to help others like her. While the journey is never truly over, this story reminds us that we can help each other more than we know.
Thanks for your strength, Bekah!
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