Feeling sad or anxious at times is normal behaviour and everyone goes through these emotions but if these feelings last for more than two weeks then they could be symptoms of an illness, depicting poor mental health which can be called depression, depression today is one of the most common mental illness in the world and in the US it affects 26 per cent of adults which is 17 million American adults experience depression every year.
WHAT HAPPENS IN DEPRESSION?
Depression saps your motivation, hope and vitality, making it challenging to perform the actions that will improve your mood. Sometimes it might be difficult or stressful to even think about doing the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or hanging out with friends.
There are a few things you tend to feel while dealing with depression.
Emptiness.
Feeling sad, unmotivated and empty can happen several times and when you deal with them on a day-to-day basis then it suggests you have depression.
Lack of sleep.
Your troubling thoughts can keep you awake at night and hinder your sleep cycle, bad thoughts often result in nightmares and sleeping might get scary for you.
Suicidal thoughts.
In depression, one tends to harm themselves as you lose interest in everything you fail to see what good is ahead of you and you lose the zeal to move forward in life and which increases the risk of suicide.
Weight fluctuations.
Depression in some ways causes overeating as a result of an anxious body or in so it may cause loss of appetite, those people who use food as a coping method in depression can get obesity-related illnesses too and eating less or poorly will result in nutritional deficiencies in one’s body.
Reduced concentration.
As you lose interest in everything and you lose your concentration too, students or teenagers who deal with it might not want to attend school and get clingy to their homes and can also notice a decline in their grades and performances at school or in adults at workplaces.
When you are depressed you can just will yourself to “snap out of it”
It is always scary for people to take the first step but they are some simple things you can begin with like taking a stroll in your nearby park or listening to your favourite
music which can to some extent life up your mood if not for a longer time but for some decent hours and once you start feeling g good you might want to take the second step towards recovery
The further steps can be making a good meal or planning to meet old friends.
These slow steps will be effective methods that will help you gradually lift the heavy depression-induced cloud and experience happier, healthier and more hopeful feelings once more.
COPING MECHANISMS FOR DEPRESSION
REACHING OUT.
You can be feeling too worn to chat and may a.so feel to burden people with your feelings or can even feel ashamed in disclosing your state of mind to others, well this is all that only your depression makes you think.
Your mood outlook will drastically change if you maintain social connections and engage in social activities, reaching out doesn’t indicate weakness and won’t make you seem like a burden to other people. While texting, social media and phone conversations are all excellent ways to remain in touch, face-to-face interaction with loved ones cannot be replaced. Talking to someone face to face about how you’re feeling can be a very effective strategy to both treat and prevent depression.
The people who love you will never be ignorant of your condition or in a situation where you feel a lack of support from your own people, then it’s never too late to make new friends and expand your support system.
You can even think of joining a depression support group, being around other people who are coping with depression can significantly help to lessen your sense of
loneliness. Additionally, you can support one another, discuss your experiences and give and receive advice on how to survive.
EXERCISING AND EATING HEALTHY.
Your eating patterns to a lot extent define how you would feel and if you are overeating and then try reducing the junk from it and also the alcohol, and caffeine intake which adversely affects the brain activity and also the non-veg dishes, some certain meats which have high levels of chemical hormones.
Try having small meals in between, less food can make you feel more irritated and tired so aim to eat something at least every three to four hours.
It can be challenging to start exercising when you’re feeling down and worn out. But it has been proved in studies that if you stick with it, your energy levels will rise.
Exercise will make you feel more energized and less exhausted and not the opposite, in the beginning, if your feel alone you can look for an exercising partner too not only it will help you in socializing while going through a tough time but will also keep you motivated, you can begin with your favourite exercise which will help you in maintaining consistency.
SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HELP.
We know when none of the above works it is something else you should turn to if you have applied enough self-help methods and made positive changes in your
lifestyle but you still find nothing changing for the better inside you and you realise it is getting worse then you must realise it can still get treated and consulting your prolonged illness with a doctor will eventually be easier for your struggle with your
disease, once you get into therapy remember to not let go of these self-help methods to continue with as it will speed your recovery.