*Collaborative post.
Depression is the silence killer in current times. It is eating away the hearts and minds of many, and it is still being ignored as a serious mental illness by many. We may have had our own fair share of feeling low at various points in our lives, and this can give us a good idea of what living with depression can feel like. I know I have had many times in my life where I didn’t feel like getting out of bed or felt low for days, but I always bounce back. That is the difference. People who are suffering from depression don’t bounce back. The feeling of not getting out of bed or feeling low carries on for weeks, months even years.
Dealing with depression
The feeling of extended sadness can come as a result of losing someone, finance troubles, relationship issues, work problems or just general life struggles. When it comes to dealing with mental health illness, the first thing is to understand what is causing the symptoms. Once you know what the trigger is, you are half way in solving the problem. It may be tricky at first to pinpoint the trigger or triggers if all sorts are happening at the same time, but once you do, it all starts to make sense why you feel the way you do.
The next step is to find someone you trust to confide in. A listening ear/sounding board always helps. The stigma associated with mental health is starting to wear off as more and more people talk about this invisible illness, so seek out a friend to open up to. You need to remember depression is an illness and not a sign of weakness.
Once you confide in someone you trust, the next thing to do is to see your doctor. If you are feeling depressed and struggling to get on with day to day activities like getting out of bed and cleaning up , you should go see a doctor immediately to get help. Asking for help is a sign of strength. It shows you know something is wrong and you are willing to do something about it.
Depression like many other mental health illness affects the entire body. It affects the way you eat, sleep or live. Which is why it eventually starts to take a toll on the body, and ends up leading to other illnesses if not treated.
Signs of Depression
Here are some of the common signs of depression –
- Consistent sad empty mood
- Loss of interest in hobbies/activities you once enjoyed.
- Insomnia or Hypersomnia
- Suicidal thoughts
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Irritability and Hostility
- Lack of appetite or overeating
- Feelings of hopelessness/worthlessness
These are just a few of the common signs of depression. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should get help. There are a number of ways of dealing with depression. Talk therapy with a psychologist is a way to treat depression. Using prescribed medication from your doctor is another way. A combination of both also works in some instances. The treatment varies from person to person. Which is why you have to get your own diagnosis if you feel you are showing signs of depression. You could find out how much therapy cost here.
There is a lot to be said about our mental health and I feel the more we talk about, the more the stigma wears off. There is no shame in having any illness and we need to remember that.
Great post Stella and the more people who speak out the better. So many illnesses are invisible. People with mental health needs usually look normal on the surface.
You wouldn’t know the extent of mine on face value. I have learnt how to manage mine rather than them manage me. That statement is normal to me however not a normal way to live
I am on medication for life because of my life story, to keep me relatively stable. My normality isnt the same as others Our second son has the health need of bipolar (manic depression) so I know too much about this from many angles.
Thank you for taking the time to address this subject and to be honest about your own struggles too. It is so important for visibility and to keep chipping away at the stigma
Thanks for sharing your experience Carol. It is important to keep talking about our mental health since many people take it for granted.
Great post. Depression is so hard to diagnose and often ignored. The first step is to start the conversation and break the stigma.
I agree Liona.
I suffered with depression many years ago but thankfully managed to beat it, but if I feel down I make sure I catch it early
Yes. It is important to sort it out early.
For those who have never suffered from depression will never understand how debilitating it can be
Yea they just don’t get it.
Such an important message. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reading.
As a country we have a long way to come with mental health but I do think we are slowly becoming more open about it
Yes we are slowly getting there.
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Visit my blog to follow my struggle through depression
Will do.
Yes, depression is a silent killer!
Sometimes it gets too late till the people around you understand that you are suffering from a great depression. They think that it is not a disease, but a small trauma that might have affected you up to a great extent. There is a therapy available to deal with this issue. Doctors also sometimes consult hypnotherapist to deal with the problems related to mental health problems and this is effective.
Yes it is. Thanks for stopping by.
The hard part for me is finding someone to talk about it with. It seems like I have no one I like enough, or can trust enough
I know it can be hard to find someone you are happy to speak with but you could try speaking with your doctor and see how that goes.
I don’t have a doctor…I’m not on medication
Hi, would love for you to check out my blog and let me know what you think ☺️
This post on my blog was inspired by my depression story. I went through depression at a little age of 12,at least that’s how far I remember with no one to understand me. Sometimes I crave to be alone and cry endlessly.But someway or somehow, I survived this. Please I hope you find this interesting
Oh wow! Sorry to hear that. I will have a read.
When I suffered through depression I found that talking to others was also very helpful but I also found that by reading articles given to me and talking helped here’s an article I read
Talking does help for sure.
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