Giving Voice to Depression

Overcoming Depression: How The Tors Turned Struggle into Hope Through Music

Giving Voice to Depression Episode 424

Coping with depression often means searching for ways to turn struggle into something that helps you keep going. For Matt Weedon of The Tors, that outlet was music.

In this heartfelt conversation, Matt shares how the band’s song “Anything Can Happen” was written during a season of deep depression. He describes what it felt like to carry both pain and numbness, why even simple tasks felt impossible, and how the support of a true friend became a lifeline.

Matt and The Tors remind us that music, friendship, and self-compassion can turn even the heaviest moments into sparks of hope.

Link to The Tors website: https://www.tors.band/

Primary Topics Covered:

  • Coping with depression through creativity and songwriting
  • The story of “Anything Can Happen” and its personal meaning
  • What it feels like to live with pain and numbness at the same time
  • The challenge of daily tasks when depression is overwhelming
  • Why trusted friendships are essential for survival and healing
  • Self-compassion in practice: “If you need a minute, take a minute”
  • The role of routines and small joys in recovery
  • The power of listening without judgment or solutions
  • How music helps give language to mental health struggles

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: why coping with depression requires support  
02:12 – Meet Matt Weedon of The Tors and the song’s backstory  
03:44 – Writing during depression and the emotional weight of creativity  
05:08 – Pain and numbness: the paradox of depression’s symptoms  
05:38 – Lyrics from “Anything Can Happen” and how they resonate  
06:43 – “I don’t remember happy” — losing joy and memory in depression  
08:26 – The role of a friend who listens without judgment  
09:29 – Why being heard feels like being loved  
10:54 – Responding with compassion when someone shares their struggle  
11:49 – The reminder: “If you need a minute, take a minute”  
15:13 – Building hope even when the future feels impossible  
15:35 – Routines and small goals as building blocks for recovery  
18:30 – Laughter, TV shows, and sparks of joy returning  
20:09 – Comfort inputs: why familiar routines support the brain  
21:22 – Friendship, presence, and “body doubling” in recovery  
22:51 – Closing thoughts: music as medicine for depression  

Explore mental health and addiction treatment options: https://recovery.com/
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/GivingVoiceToDepression/
Terry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/givingvoicetodepression/

People on this episode