The phrase, “I’m so depressed!” is one that we’ve all thrown in a sentence casually; not really considered what the word truly means. A temporary feeling of sadness shouldn’t be described using the word depression. Depression isn’t something that is temporary and it just comes and leaves quickly. Depression is a treatable mental illness that several people experience throughout their lives, which is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Things that may cause depression:
-Life changing events
-Side effects to medication/an illness
-Genetics
-Alcohol or drug abuse
-Hormonal changes
-SOMETIMES YOU SIMPLY DO NOT KNOW
How you may feel when you’re depressed:
-No pleasure and joy
-Low energy: even for routine daily activities
-Low self-esteem
-Hard to concentrate
-Lack of sleep
Things that may help depression:
-Set Realistic Goals: accomplishing small goals will help you prove your worth to yourself
-Gratitude: practice reciting every day the things you’re grateful for; this will also help you see the value in your life
-Write: write out your thoughts and feelings; that way if you don’t want to talk to anyone you’re still expressing yourself
-Exercise: in exercising you may not know that there’s a chemical that’s released called “endorphins”, which is known as a feel-good chemical
-Challenge Negative Thoughts: try to find the positive in every negative thing you’re thinking
-FUN!!!: do things that you used to enjoy doing; to see if the spark it once gave you still exist
-Religion: if you’re religious see if your choice of religious practices may help you
-Professional Help: Seek professional help if it’s needed
If you know someone who battles depression:
-Research: do research on the illness, before coming to them and potentially offending them
-Support: sometimes the best and the only thing you can do is make your presence known
-No Judging and Blaming: if you feel you want to express these things to someone depressed it’s best you stay away until you’ve had a change of heart–you may cause more harm than good
-See them for who they are: don’t see them as their depression, but as someone you care about
-Show them love: sometimes that person just needs to be reminded that they’re loved
-Medication: if they’re on medication becoming familiar with the medicine, it’s dosages, and side effects can help
-Overall Offer Hope: let them know things will get better
Depression doesn’t look the same on everyone. It can be someone who smiles and lights of every room they enter; the life of the party who goes home everyday and cry; or it can be the person who isolates themselves from the rest of the world. So since you can’t pinpoint who’s depressed unless they express it doing random check ins with the people you love and care about can go a long way. I know we can all get caught up in our own lives and what we have going on, but just as well as you want others to check on you make sure you’re doing the same! Until next time!!
