Depression is a universal emotion, and no matter how well placed or settled one may be, no one is completely immune from it. You may become the man you want to be in the eyes of the world but depression once inside will keep eating you up.
I have to speak about this today because no matter how well we let the world see us, we all have our battles and I hope someone out there gets the help they deserve.
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
According to Wikipedia; Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings, and sense of well-being. This can be normal and clinical.
- Normal Depression.
This is as a result of an individual going through life's challenges such as the loss of their job, ill health, loss of a loved one or generally going through some very stressed up situation that won't allow them focus and in that process, they get into a depressed mood. - Clinical Depression.
aka, Major Depression. This is when an individual suffers a mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life. This one is severe and although it can be treated, it requires some additional cares, drugs and practice.
Depression is deadly and looking at the diagram below, you just have to be really sacred of the terrible danger it can pose to your life.
WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION?
Distress is a major cause of depression.
When you constantly within a period of 14 days feel hopeless, anxious, irritable, worthless, guilty or helpless, you may be suffering from depression and you should do something about it.
Starting out as a normal feeling, depression creeps in slowly and gradually destroys the individual. Being able to identify the ways the feelings are changing is one best way to know how to tackle that aspect of your life that is changing for the bad.
Depression is the number one cause of suicide and more than 10 million people yearly die from suicide while over 100million are suicidal. This condition many have come to live with is what makes depression more like an acceptable disaster.
The number is staggering and why it is terrible is that, you may never truly know what ails your neighbor because there is this I Am Fine facade being put up to make you not see what really is wrong with the individual. Awareness campaigns are being run daily to ensure that people are protected from their own selves and also are able to come forth to speak about their problems.
GETTING UP OFF DEPRESSION.
Depression comes in two forms, the Normal one that is triggered by happenings around us and Clinical that is triggered by the normal that has become constant. When the normal become matured, it becomes a mental issue and then you become a threat to yourself and others.
You must be aware now that it doesn't take much for someone to be be depressed and if you are used to the hustle where no matter what you do, nothing ever comes to show you have put in so much, you will definitely understand the feelings that just threatens to swallow you up as depression.
So we will look at some steps we can take to get up from feeling depressed and in a bid to stay away from clinical depression. Bear in mind, these steps may sound playful, but the play is what makes it work.
a.Be unfailingly positive.
Living in a realistic mood will most definitely work against the individual who thinks he got it covered. When you are unfailingly positive in your views and approach to life, you will be able to work harder and longer and then find the results you need waiting to be scooped.
Being realistic sometimes has it pitfalls as you are mostly programmed to be fairly predictable. Predictability is one sure road to depression. You must be sure to play outside the known status and follow through with the new. Putting up a bold face for the world to see while it isn't what it is, is one sure way to go down.
b.Plug into your positive side.
Being positive is one sure way to control your low mood and overcome them. If you are able to do that, you will be able to overcome depression as is and the be more able to go forward in life as an individual who has so much to live for.
Using the light switch approach to life will help you switch from a state of depression to a state of being able to determine and control what moods you want to live by for that day.
Positivity always slays negativity and no matter how hard the tides may turn, you will come out one step better when you stay positive and depression will stay away.
c.Cry.
We all have down times in our lives and this applies to everyone no matter what you tell yourself. Many believe that crying is for the weak, but I tell you it isn't. Cry yourself a river if you can because it is only through that tear coming out of you that you can truly settle into a life that is depression free.
Create a cry time and use the tears as a punctuation time for your sadness. Do not cry like you lost something, but cry the emotional distress out and then pick yourself back up again and forge ahead by working more on your positive side.
d.Find a hobby.
To fight depression, find a hobby that will engage you in those times that you ordinarily should be down thinking about how hard life has been and is. There will always be problems as long as we live, and no matter how you think about them, there is no guarantee that it will disappear. The best part of your life should be you looking to do some new stuffs, like gardening, photography, beading, weaving, dancing etc.
When you are able to take up a hobby, you will find that these problems are actually manageable and not worth living depressed for.
e.Give yourself a treat.
Find that one thing daily that you will and can do to give yourself that extra pleasure. It is hard enough living and getting to become well formed means you must be will to change your flow pattern and become well adjusted with the day to day offing life has got under its sleeves.
You could get a massage, walk in the park and truly take in the moment, call a friend or loved one and talk for sometime, pay someone a visit if you can. Doing any of these will help you establish a positive behavioral pattern for yourself.
f.Be Happy.
Don't worry, be happy! You simply need not worry because there is no sunlight for the one who worries. The expression on your face can help you summon a positive attitude. The face being able to relax will help you bring healing to your heart.
If you put some efforts to smile despite the cloudy face you bear, you will be able to force your heart to smile along and push away the dark clouds that threaten to destroy you.
g.Reduce the sugar.
I think this is true to stopping depression because, if you have a large enough amount of sugar in your system, it will help give your emotions a dive in the wrong direction. Stress will thrive in a system that is purely sugar coated. Too much sugar in the system cause an increased release of insulin which results in low blood sugar, and low sugar will lead to depression. Learn to do away with it.
h.Check your medication.
Sometimes, depression is caused because we are unknowing taking the wrong drug that causes us the harm that we face. Many have lost their lives due to the usage of drugs they had no idea was working against them.
Ask your doctor about your drug intake and medication. Know what works and what doesn't and be sure to monitor your moods when in medication.
i.Be your own self-booster.
Low self-esteem is one other major cause of depression and when you are on a low self-esteem, you will nor be able to escape depression. Get into self-talking yourself so that you reverse what is happening or what is being said about you.
Encourage yourself with the tides of the moments that will suit you make you stand out. Rush into your inner self and love that you are yourself and refuse to be lacking in self-esteem.
j.Make a list.
Making a list of your daily challenges and accomplishment will help you forma track of your activities. When you make a list of your challenges, fails and accomplishments, you will be able to see for yourself where you got it wrong and where you need to make it right.
Writing it down makes it possible for you to lay claim to what needs to be held and pursued. Look into what the true state of your life is and what it should be. To do lists helps us meet our targets.
Depression is a killer and is known to slowly creep in and take away a once healthy life and squeeze the juice out of it.
I am not depressed and I am doing whatever it takes to make sure I provide value to every and anyone I meet.
Remember, talking to someone about yourself and how you feel when you feel out of place surely will help you run through your day winning against life's battles.
I hope you have been able to get something out of this piece? And if you or someone you know is depressed, do well to talk, check your medication, talk to someone, be happy etc and you will be making the world filled with some more happy people.
Image source.
Everyday Health Onhealth
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