Are you depressed?
Has anyone ever asked you that question? Before you answer, I’d like to ask you something else. What does depression look like for you?
Some people have only one image of depression-and that is: you can’t get off the couch, you’re not getting dressed, mindlessly eating ice cream from a carton and you cry all the time.
But the reality is that depression looks different on each person.
Some people who are depressed go to work, take care of their kids, and go out for long walks.
You can be depressed and be functioning. Depression can be numbness where you can’t feel anything, at all. Depression can be the negative voice in your head who tells you every idea you have is lousy, the future looks terrible, there’s no point in trying to make things better and nothing will ever change.
I’ve met depression a lot in my line of work. Depression does not like going to therapy. Depression thinks it’s a waste of time. Depression doesn’t want to take medication. It won’t work.
What I have found that works best with depression, is patience. Be honest when speaking with depression. This therapy may not help you, but you try it and then decide. These medications may not work for you, but would you test them out and then give your opinion? Of course, not everyone who is depressed needs medication. It depends on how you are doing, how long you’ve been depressed and the severity of symptoms you are having. Medication could help.
If you are patient with depression and really listen to it, there are some important things depression is saying about your life.
Depression is complicated and can be a combination of feelings such as: disappointment, frustration, anger, loss of connection, and emptiness that hurts.
The most important question for depression is, “What do you need?”
It can be an impossibly hard question to answer when you are depressed.
And the truth is everything is impossibly hard when you are depressed. Many people keep pushing through when they are depressed. Sometimes, taking off some of the responsibilities and resting is needed to take the pressure off.
If depression has been recurring for you, or if it runs in your family, you have to create a strategy-it’s like having an emergency kit ready when you need it. You need a strategy to take care of yourself extremely well when you are suffering from depression. Those who work their self-care strategy and do everything to activate their support system, have some coping skills that help through this.
Here are three things that make depression worse: ignoring it, drinking alcohol (alcohol is a depressant), and not giving yourself a break.
It’s always worthwhile to let your doctor runs some basic tests to be sure that your depression is not a physical issue, such as a thyroid issue.
During this year and a half with COVID, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of people seeking counseling and feeling depressed and anxious. If you have been struggling, please reach out for support. When depression is ignored, it can get worse and then it takes longer to recover.
Finding the right support for you is key. Take a holistic approach when it comes to recovering from depression. Look at your physical health, your diet, increase time you give to yourself for resting, walking, reading. Ask for recommendations for a counselor to sort through the feelings you are having and help you recover. Give yourself a break from some responsibilities. Try doing some art, listening to music, being out in nature. These things can be soothing. Connect to a friend or group. Depression can trick you into believing none of this will help-but that’s just the depression talking. All of this helps.