The feeling of sadness is an inevitable experience for all human beings. This feeling might be
temporary for some people, but for others, it might be a daily part of their life. Depression therefore
goes undiagnosed and is not always easily identified. How do you know if you have depression?
According to recent report by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 21 million
adults in the United States experienced atleast one major depressive episode in the past year.
The Feeling of Depression
Depression is a mood disorder that can affect a person’s daily activities like working, sleeping, eating
etc. The symptoms of Depression vary from person to person as is the case with causes of the same.
Below are some or all the symptoms you might experience if you are suffering from Depression:
- Feeling sad and low
- Feeling disinterested in things that earlier seemed pleasurable
- Feeling you should be (or you are) punished
Feeling guilty - Facing difficulty making decisions
- Feeling tired and low on energy
- Believing that nothing will ever work out for you
- Facing difficulty concentrating
- Feeling irritated
- Feeling restless and anxious
- Crying (or you feel like crying)
- Thinking about ending your life
- Feeling like a failure
- Feeling like you are alone (or want to be alone)
- Takes lot of effort to do the smallest of things
- Feeling helpless
- Not feeling happy even when good things happen
- Thinking life isn’t worth living
- Eating significantly more (or less) than usual
- Sleep is disturbed (unrestful or broken sleep)
Apart from the above symptoms, there could be some physical symptoms associated with
Depression. It is important to identify the symptoms to seek appropriate help. If you are facing most
or all of the above symptoms for more than two weeks, you might be suffering from a depression
disorder.
How to help yourself during Depression
If you identify yourself to be struggling with depression, we recommend you to seek professional help
as soon as possible. Additionally, activities such as mediation, yoga or any other forms of exercise can
help your mental situation. It might appear lonely and therefore, we recommend you to confide your
feelings with atleast one person either friend, family etc.to cope with isolation. In case daily tasks
appear to be difficult, take one step at a time. Remember, it is okay to take things slowly, you’re
mental health is more important than anything else right now.
You can find more ways to deal with depression by clicking on 5 Patterns To Break While Dealing With Depression.
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