Experiencing Depression in your day-to-day life
If you are living with depression chances are you have experienced sorrow, low self-worth, low motivation and desire to keep going, and questioned your purpose. Depression is a common mental health condition that impacts many people, including children, adolescents, and young and elderly adults. However, there is an effective treatment for depression. One form of depression treatment is therapy with a licensed therapist and licensed counselor to address depression symptoms and how these symptoms impair your ability to function. When depression is left untreated it can lead to suicidal thoughts, self-harming behavior, instability in relationships and employment. Depression needs to be taken seriously and treated with care. Working with a licensed therapist, incorporating grounding activities, and implementing a self-care routine is a start to treating the depression that you are living with and improving your mental health.Â
Depression: what is it?
Major depressive disorder is a common and serious medical illness that negatively impacts your mood, your thinking, and your behavior. There are skilled doctors, psychologists, and psychotherapists who can treat depression. If you are experiencing depression you could experience a decreased interest in the things you once enjoyed due to the frequentfeelings of sadness and emptiness. If depression is not treated it can have a negative impact on your mental health, physical health, and decrease your ability to maintain relationships.
Experiencing the symptoms of depression
According to the American Psychiatric Association these are the symptoms of depression:
Feeling sad or in a low mood
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
Loss of energy or increased fatigue
Feeling worthless or guilty
Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
Thoughts of death or suicide
If you are not treated for depression, then it can take a toll on you.
Getting out of bed may seem like a challenging task for you. There are a lot of extra steps that you do not want to add to your already hectic day, including taking a shower and brushing your teeth. If you have a depressed mood, you might notice a change in your appetite, either eating too much or not enough. This would lead to weight changes in your body either an increase in weight from consistent binge eating or loss of weight due to consistent under-eating. Perhaps others are taking note of it too. "Many of the health consequences associated with depression are due to the fact that this disorder predisposes and exacerbates other chronic medical conditions, including diseases related to depression’s vegetative symptoms, such as obesity and diabetes (The American journal of psychiatry, 2017)."
With depression you might also notice your living area is messy and dark. It's almost like you have locked yourself in your depression cave and don't know how to get out of it. In relationships you might experience depression keeping you from connecting with others, communicating, or engaging with others. People with depression can spend days, weeks, or months without responding to a simple text message. This leads to a feeling of distance from others. Often, depression creates a barrier between us and our loved ones by affecting how we communicate. It has been shown that depression can lead to a feeling of isolation, which, in turn, can inhibit your desire to communicate with others.
Who is impacted by depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) depression can affect people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and genders. Women are diagnosed with depression more often than men. The World Health Organization noted that an estimated 3.8% of the population experience depression.
We also saw an increase in depression as a country during our global pandemic due to the amount of loss and isolation we experienced. As a result of Covid-19, anxiety and depression increased. The Covid-19 global pandemic created awareness of how crucial it is to address our mental health. During our global pandemic people struggled with social isolation, loss of employment, low mood, high anxiety, and loneliness. In addition, during the Covid-19 pandemic many people experienced their mental health crumbling. We needed individual therapy during the global pandemic and we still need it now. Mental health professionals were in high demand during the pandemic, and even now they are still necessary to help individuals cope with mental health issues.
How to treat depression: Forms of treatment
Therapy with a licensed therapist or licensed counselor skilled at implementing evidence-based treatment modalities, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Medication prescribed by a psychiatrist. Antidepressants are an option but remember medication is symptom management it is not symptom elimination and it can't treat the source of your depression
Meditation. This is a helpful practice to be implemented for the treatment of depression. However, it isn't enough to make it go away, but adding meditation to your busy life would help than cause harm.
Practice self-care. When dealing with depression even taking a shower is an extra step. Create a self-care routine to care for yourself such as taking a warm shower, face mask, pedicure, etc.
Change your diet. If you eat 'junk food' on a consistent basis your body and mental health will pay for it. Speak to a nutritionist to improve your diet and see mood changes.
Incorporate physical exercise. NIMH has case studies presenting that exercise can significantly improve the mood of patients with depression. You can even sign up for a yoga, pilates, or weightlifting class.
Get more sleep. If you are getting less than the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep you will see a negative impact onyour mood. Notice that when you function on 3-5 hours of sleep you are irritable? That's because poor sleep hygiene impacts your mood.
With the right therapist, you can overcome your depression and improve your mental health.
Therapy for depression: The benefits to your mental health
You can address depression by adjusting your diet, increasing your sleep, and engaging in calming activities such as meditation, yoga, journaling, which are all helpful ways to address depression, but sometimes you may require additional support as well.
This is why seeing a licensed therapist to address the source of your depression and learn more effective ways of coping is helpful. Therapy is an effective treatment approach for depression and other mood disorders impacting your mental health. There are therapists who understand that you might be facing struggles at the moment--they are human like you. Therapists approach your struggles with care and understanding to improve your mood and outlook on life. You do not have to suffer alone. Get professional help. It is time for you to talk to a therapist about your depression and see the positive changes that will occur in your life as a result.
Healing Therapy Services is a therapy practice located in Campbell, CA helping people struggling with depression improve their mental health and increase their positive outlook on life.