Questioning the existence of Depression
Introduction
When you are struggling with your hard days and you have bad
feelings (depressed feelings), these feelings will pass.
Depression is the leading cause of disease worldwide, having
effect on millions of individuals annually.
Depression is the most misunderstood mental disorder. And
people are not comfortable to discuss about this in open as they feel that they
will be mocked. But there are few misconceptions about these diseases that occur.
In order to combat these misconceptions, it is necessary that we need to learn
these the facts about depression. Remember, a caterpillar goes through the
darkness(inhibition) in order to become a beautiful butterfly.
By knowing about the facts about depression, you will be
able to combat depression and fear of depression will be vanished from your
mind.
What do we mean by depression?
Everyone experience sadness when they encounter
disappointments or lose someone or something close to their heart.
Now we will know what symptoms we experience while we suffer
depression.
What are the symptoms of depression?
We experience the following symptoms which are enlisted
below:
1.
Feeling of sadness and emptiness all the time.
2.
Losing interest in our usual activities.
3.
Getting irritated, agitated or frustrated easily
4.
Feeling of tiredness and letharginess all the
time.
5.
Feeling of worthlessness, guiltiness and helplessness.
6.
Facing problems related to falling asleep or
staying asleep.
What intrusive thoughts we face while we suffer from depression?
In depression, negative thoughts, which occur when things do
not work out as planned, like considering yourself loser or feel you are not
good enough, become overwhelming.
What depression is not?
We will tell you facts about depression that is not true.
These are:
1.
Depression can be cured with the aid of positive
thoughts or a change in attitude.
Reality: Depression is a medical condition
in which your brain chemistry, function and structure are affected negatively
by environmental or biological factors. Due to situation created by COVID-19,
the cases of depression got increased as compared to the years in which there
was no COVID-19.
2.
Depression is caused by negative incident
Reality: Depression, characterized by
unexplained periods of hopelessness, sadness, and lethargy, may arise suddenly
and in inexplicable manner, even when everything in your life seems to be going
good.
3.
Depression is a sign of weakness
Reality: Depression is not related to the
strength of someone’s character; just like asthma or diabetes, it is a serious
medical condition. It is also a chemical imbalance in the brain which can be
treated.
4.
Depression will go away by itself
Reality: If depression is left untreated,
its symptoms will get worse. Thus, it is necessary to take help early in order
to prevent symptoms of depression from getting worse as it is said that one
stitch in time saves nine.
5.
Afraid to talk about depression, as it will get
more worse
Reality: Expressing your feelings allows
you to diminish your problems, seek confidence and find solutions. This may
require a trained counsellor who can help you get out of depression. The
information that you give is kept strictly confidential ie not disclosed.
6.
People feel that I do not need a doctor as they
think that I am lazy rather than depressed.
Realtiy: Person who suffers from depression
losses a lot of energy. It is common that person loses interest in usual
activities and should not be misunderstood as laziness.
Why reality check on depression matters?
Reality check on depression matters as
people, by knowing what depression is and what it is not will be able to muster
the inner strength to fight this disease effectively and will not be defeated
by depression in initial stages and consider this depression as a serious
medical condition. By knowing about the misconceptions related to depression,
people will be able to seek medical help.
How we can tackle depression?
This can be treated in following ways:
A.
Qoutes to combat depression
1.
“The happiness of your life depends on your
thoughts”- Miss Mallika Singh.
2.
“Rejection makes you stronger”-Udaan.
3.
Thoughts are not facts.
4.
Your body is your life partner so take care of
it- Lord Krishna.
5.
Struggle often leads to growth.
6.
A bad day does not mean a bad life.
7.
Your story may be someone’s inspiration and
survival guide.
8.
Your feelings are important.
9.
It is always darkest before the dawn.
10.
Your best is enough.
11.
Making mistakes is a part of life.
12.
Take a break when you need to.
13.
Value efforts over results.
14.
Prioritize growth over speed.
B.
Set goals.
When we are depressed, we may feel like we can't accomplish anything. That
makes us feel worse about ourself. To push back, set daily goals for ourself.
"Start very small," Cook says. "Make your goal something that
you can succeed at, like doing the dishes every other day."
As we start to feel better, we can add more challenging daily goals.
C. Meaning: Find small ways to be of service to others.
Find personal meaning by serving something larger than ourself. Remember
service doesn’t have to be big to count. Consider this, “Success, like
happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue… as the unintended side effect of
one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.” – Viktor E.
Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
D. Pleasant Events: Schedule pleasant activities or events.
Don’t wait for ourself to be “in the mood.” For example, give ourself
permission for a 30-minute “vacation” or schedule a healthy hobby every day.
Just remember to do these activities with the right attitude. Also, practice
gratitude — take time to notice what went well today, not just what went wrong.
Consider keeping a gratitude journal. Know that being grateful for our blessings
doesn’t mean we have to discount our problems.
E.Relationships: Focus on people who
lift us up.
Interact frequently with others that
bring us up (not people that bring us down). While it’s OK to have some alone
time, find a balance and don’t isolate yourself or the depression will linger.
F.Keep a journal
Keeping a journal is a powerful
strategy for fighting depression. Writing down thoughts, feelings, and problems
can allow individuals to identify patterns, triggers, and warning signs
relating to their depression.
It can also give people perspective
on particular issues and help them generate solutions.
Writing things down can be
especially helpful before bed, especially if distressing thoughts are hindering
sleep.
If people do not feel comfortable
keeping a journal due to privacy concerns, they can destroy the paper
afterward. Some people find the act of writing itself cathartic.
Another journaling option is to make
a list of things for which a person is grateful. Researchers noted positive
effects on the brain in people who kept such a list. People sometimes refer to
this as keeping a gratitude journal.
Conclusion
Now we come to know that when we
know the truth of depression, we can tackle this depression by gaining inner
strength and seek help of doctor.
References:
1. 1. Juliaspiritualcoaching
2. 2. How to get out of depression without
medication ?
