Anybody ever have that moment when you realize you're relating too much to your depressed protagonist?

I don't feel especially depressed, but this character just quoted a Hamlet soliloquy, & I nodded, said "Mood, buddy," & then was suddenly alarmed at myself.

.... is..... is that... not normal...

maybe some people are conscious of how depressed they are or are not, & therefore don't get surprised by moments like this?

oh you mean like that. totally fair

anyway I was a little bit stuck on the next scene so I just had the character wander while I wrote stream-of-consciousness, and while I am definitely not AS depressed as this sad sack...

I related.

I don't know if I'd call it relating too much. To write like that, don't you need to kind of put on the character's mentality, you know, like a jacket? So of course it's relatable, that's a side effect of immersing your brain in that character's emotion. As long as you can take off the jacket afterward, there's probably nothing to worry about.

In this case, I think it may also be an indication that the writing works. It definitely conveys that mood.

(I say this as a someone who is, at this point, very aware of my depression and, as a consequence, very good at telling the difference between "emotions from my brain chemicals" and "emotions from mirroring external sources". To me, this seems like the latter.)

fair.