Am I depressed? I believe this is a question that many people ask themselves. Well, there are two ways to evaluate depression. One type of depression is called situational depression. It’s when a person’s daily circumstances affect how they feel. It affects their daily mood. The way they see their life in general. The second kind of depression is chemical depression. When we refer to chemical depression we are talking about the chemical balance in the brain itself.
This first type of depression can change depending on one’s circumstances. For instance, if someone’s depressed because of issues at home, going out with friends or going to work may help that depression subside. However when someone is suffering from chemical depression, usually that depressive Cloud follows them regardless of where they are or what activities they may be involved in.
There are several symptoms of depression and questions one can ask oneself.
Number 1
Am I persistently sad? Do I feel hopelessness? Do all the tasks of my day feel like enormous obstacles?
Number 2
Do I suffer from self-loathing? Do I suffer from low self-esteem? Am I overly critical of myself and others?
Number 3
Have I lost the interest I once had in activities, work, relationships, Etc?
Number 4
Do I find myself irritated often? Am I bothered for no apparent reason? Do I isolate myself from others?
Number 5
Do I suffer from anxiety? Is my stomach often in knots? Do I suffer from sweaty hands? Do I have a fear about my personal or professional future? Am I unable to fulfill certain responsibilities or move ahead with my career or personal life because of fear?
Number 6
Do I suffer from a loss of energy? Does everything I do feel like walking through wet sand? Do I avoid doing anything that requires sustained mental thought, or physical energy? Can I fulfill household chores?
Number 7
Do I spend less time taking care of myself? Do I wake up and make my bed as I normally would? Brush my teeth? Wash my face? Shower regularly? Am I taking care of my health? Eating sensibly?
Number 8
Are my sleep patterns Disturbed? Do I sleep longer than usual, lingering in bed,, not able to get up? Or does it take me long periods of time to fall asleep, or stay asleep? Is my mind often full of worry and concern keeping me from sleeping peacefully?
Number 9
Am I having any appetite changes? Has my appetite decreased, or am I eating for comfort? Am I gaining weight? Or losing weight, regardless of trying?
Number 10
Has my behavior become Reckless? Do the activities I choose or the adventures I choose to put me at risk? Is my sexual behavior Reckless? Am I dabbling in substances to try to escape? Do I think about self-harm?
If any of these are areas of concern, it’s imperative that you seek professional help. It may just be making that far overdue appointment with your general practitioner and mentioning that you think you may be depressed. They will ask you some questions and make a decision of whether or not it would be important for you to get further care, whether that means medication, counseling, or even homeopathic treatment.
The problem with depression is it is sneaky. Just when you think you have control of it, suddenly it takes a turn. I like to explain to my clients in this way… depression is like drowning. At the beginning, the ocean comes up to our chest and we can feel the waves slightly moving us even when we don’t want to be moved by them. As the water climbs up over our chest, we start to feel difficulty in breathing as we feel the pressure Gathering around the neck. When the water increases and covers over our mouths we no longer can speak about our problems. We isolate ourselves and suffer in silence. Once the water goes over our nose we can no longer breathe. We feel desperation as we cannot fill our lungs our soul our heart anymore with the air that we need to survive. As the water goes over our eyes we can no longer see properly. We cannot see the possibilities of change we cannot see hope for tomorrow. When depression gets to this, beyond a place of being able to stop ourselves and it is at this time where people often choose suicide as a way out. Sometimes these waves come over us quickly. We don’t always have time to stop the progression of depression.
So I urge you if you’re having any of these 10 symptoms of depression that you won’t keep it to yourself. That you will allow others to help monitor your depression and not take this on alone. Go to your practitioner, or make an appointment with a counselor that deals with depression, and allow somebody else to walk this road with you. Depression is one of those things that is avoidable. You don’t have to live in this cloud of Doom forever, there is a way out.
Often by looking in your family, you can see that others possibly may have suffered from depression too or maybe still do, this is very common with depression. Often depression is learned and other times it’s chemically passed down generation to generation. Either way, there’s hope, but you have to take it. You have to reach out, even just once. You can do this for yourself, you can do this for your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends, or just be an example down the road for someone else that thought it was just too hard to take this step. Be a survivor. Be a life-changer.