loneliness

It may only be the beginning of March, but here on the East Coast (and in the Northern hemisphere) we can feel the seasonal depression fading away with the arrival of what we like to call "False Spring." While the sunshine and warm-ish weather are a preview of future joy, realistically it's going to take a long time for us to snap back to normal. And for those of us with the regular depression + seasonal depression combo, the light at the end of the tunnel is a little farther away. While we can't make the bad feelings disappear, we can help you remember that you're far from alone. You know, with a big old gallery of bleakly relatable memes.

Portland comedian @jayshingle is the mastermind of the bizarre and eerily depressing "Ordinary People Memes" Instagram account. The memes pair incredibly banal text with photos of, well, very ordinary people - and the results range from amusingly relatable to slightly dark and lonely. We hesitate to refer to them as a commentary on the volume of inanely basic tweets and memes, but they're definitely a weird palate cleanser after scrolling through pandering low-effort content.

As a sufferer of both depression and anxiety, I know it helps to know that you're not alone in the struggle. Talking to a therapist, friends, or loved ones helps, but we have to admit: memes are one of the best ways to know that what you're feeling is something other people relate to. So whether you're clinically down in the dumps or suffer from panic attacks - or both - these memes are for you.