Depression; what it is? and how to deal with it.

Dealing with depression isn’t an easy thing. At some points in our lives, if not every day, we do experience periods of low. These lows could be due to things ranging from unemployment, financial crisis, infertility, marital issues but majorly our daily life challenges. When we think about them, our reaction to these challenges  plays a major role as a negative reaction to this could bring us down and hence leads us to the depressive state we see commonly among people these days.

Depression is a mental disorder that is characterized by varying periods of low, where the affected individual could be socially, emotionally, or psychologically dysfunctional to an extent. depression could be mind, moderate, or severe.

We must know the basic things about depression to help people around us live with this mental condition. Things like depression are, how it manifests, what causes it, and ultimately, how we can deal with it.

What is depression?

Depression, as we have seen earlier, is a mental condition. It is common in the world and doesn’t respect skin color, social, or financial status, it affects individual thoughts, emotions, and actions and should therefore, be taken seriously.

Medically called major depressive disorder, depression causes an affected person to lose interest in things they used to enjoy, sometimes for a long time, depending on its severity. It also interferes with the affected person’s everyday life, such that they cannot do what they used to do effectively.

This leads us to the question, Is everyone depressed? 

No, not everyone is depressed, at least in the medical sense of it. We all feel sad and uninterested in things we love to do from time to time, but that doesn’t mean we are depressed. These fluctuations in interest, emotion, and mood have to be consistent for at least two weeks before being medically certified to be depressed.

However, it is important to note that mood swings aren’t the same as being depressed.

“How then can one know if he/she is depressed?”

Read on; we’ll shed more light on this.

Manifestation (Signs and Symptoms) of Depression.

If we look at it closely, it is somewhat easy to confuse an extensive bad mood for depression. To avoid that, let us see how depression appears; what signs are there for us to know before we can suspect that an individual is depressed.

Mood change is the apparent sign that a depressive mind exhibits. A depressed person might be sad, angry, anxious, irritable, or downright restless.

Impaired Cognitive ability is another sign. A depressed person who is angry or restless cannot concentrate long enough on anything to assimilate or understand it. You might notice that their responses during conversations come later than usual. They may take longer to complete a task they would normally do speedily.

Disruptive Sleep Pattern. It is one thing to have a bad mood; it is another to lose sleep consistently because of that bad mood. A depressed individual might be unable to sleep (Insomnia), restless during sleep, sleep but not long enough, or they might even sleep too much.

Loss of Sexual Interest might be noticed in a depressed person too. It could be that they become uninterested in sex altogether, or their sexual performance drops drastically.

Feelings of emptiness, sadness, hopelessness are some emotional symptoms of depression.

Behavioral changes such as laziness, use of drugs, excessive drinking, avoiding activities previously found pleasurable, and suicidal thoughts are signs of a depressed mind.

Migraines, Digestive issues, Tiredness, which an individual does not usually experience, might be pointing to depression.

Symptoms of depression vary in individuals. Signs that can be attributed to depression in men, for instance, might be different from what is seen in women and children.

What Causes Depression?

Unlike other medical and mental problems caused by trauma or a pathogen, depression is caused by life events. Loss of a loved one, financial incapability, unemployment, marital problems are some of the life events that cause depression.

We go through these life events every day. Still, not everyone is in a state of depression. We worry about how we will keep our family fed for the week or month and how we will foot the various bills piling up. Some of us don’t have jobs, talk less about paying bills or feeding the family.

These kinds of problem are not the cause of depression. If they were, everybody on earth would be depressed by now. The feeling of hopelessness, the thought that it can never get better, leads us to depression and sometimes suicidal thoughts.

An individual who has been abused incessantly and sees no way of escape or end to this abuse but wants it to end might attempt to take their own lives. But is that the best way to end the challenge he/she is facing? Of course not.

Dealing with depression

Picking yourself up after going through a debilitating life event is not easy, but it is doable. This is why depression is different from a bad mood. You can snap out of your bad mood by doing something you enjoy, but with depression, you are not even interested in doing that thing to lift your mood. Here are tips on how to deal with depression

Reach out to people

Forsake not the gathering of believers. This common saying in the good book applies here.  It is almost impossible to conquer or deal with the thoughts in your heads all alone. Loneliness can be a contributing factor in your depressive state. It is therefore advisable that you try as much as possible to connect with people around you; friends, family members, neighbors, and people in your social circle.

Maintain contact with them

You may be tempted to remain in your shell, do not yield to that temptation. That is your depressive mind wanting to stay in its comfort zone. Go against the will of your mind and go out to meet with the friends you’ve made.

Sometimes, you may feel too tired to talk with people, try as much as possible to use words, even though sparingly, when among friends.

Watch out for your ego as well. Reaching out and keeping in contact with friends and family to help yourself doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you are strong enough to accept that you need help and set out to get it.

Involve yourself in enjoyable activities.

Remember those activities that you used to love doing? It’s time you started doing them again. You don’t have to get into it in full swing from the onset; you can do them for short periods throughout the day.

If it proves so unenjoyable, join friends in the activities they enjoy doing will help you move conversations along and build new interests. With time, you might begin to do those things you used to love.

Exercise frequently

With depression comes inactivity, laziness, and disinterest. It is, therefore, hard to engage in exercises when you’re feeling tired. Some days, you want to stay in bed. Consciously get yourself out of bed and get to the gym.

It might help to have a gym buddy. He/she will help you get out of bed and into exercising on days when you feel extra-down.

Exercising helps in the production of chemicals in the brain that improves your mood and helps you be more relaxed.

Improve your Diet

Avoid consuming foods that are detrimental to your health. Favor foods rich in vitamin B complex, protein, and healthy fats such as chicken, eggs, and cheese. Foods rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins such as fruits and vegetables are also important.

Processed foods, carbs, and sugar should be avoided. These foods give you a false feeling of an improved mood by shooting your blood sugar level up, and when the sugar-high crashes, your mood and energy crash with it.

Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks as well.

Work on your Thoughts

As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is. The constant thought of death and suicide running in your mind isn’t you. You have not always been that way; you weren’t born that way. An event led you to this point. However, your present thoughts can be changed.

Read positive books, books that help you see the better side of you.

There is more to life than the negativities we see and experience; explore the positives, live the positives, and watch your thoughts improve.

Conclusion.

It can never be enough to remind us that we have a purpose here on earth. It is also important to remember that we cannot achieve that purpose while we are not in the right frame of mind. Depression takes us out of our right mind frame and puts us in the depths of despair.

Friends and families play a huge role in helping a depressed individual overcome their trying times. We must help them see life beyond the despair in it. Help them see and experience the goodness of life.