MY MOODS AND I (SERIES)

DEPRESSION: CAUSE AND EFFECTS

Depression is nothing strange. People at different level experience it as a result of different circumstances, and in different areas of existence. It is no respecter of status and gender. Whether rich or poor, middle-class or lower-class, male or female etc. we are all prone to it and if you’re honest enough, at least with yourself as you check out the following situations and others I’d be showing as we journey in this discourse, if you identify with them, you’d realize, even if you didn't know before, that you had, are suffering, or likely to suffer depression. Let’s take a little imagination tour.
These are the thoughts of two people who are depressed; you may have had similar ones yourself.

“I feel so alone, I never see my friends now, and I guess they have dropped me. They probably don't like me - who would? There is no point in making any effort. It doesn't pay off ... I just hate myself."

"I feel like crying all the time, I am so tired and can't get interested in anything. In fact I don't even get started with things I should be doing, I can't even do basic things that seem so easy to other people.

‘All I do is lock myself up in a place if I can, or disconnect with the rest of the world and be alone with my own thoughts. They say life is not ‘fair’, well it’s a whole lot ‘dark’ in complexion to me. Nothing in my life seems to work the way I want it! Why?!’

‘Nobody said life would be easy, nobody said it’d be rock hard too! As if I don’t have enough responsibilities, no one, I mean no one on this planet seems to understand me. It’s no use having friends too, never been able to keep them anyway.’

            

                 Depression as I've hinted above is a very common issue. One of the things you should note about it is anything can give it expression: failure, divorce, loss of a loved one or precious things one holds dear, confusion in matters of grave importance, peer group intimidation, financial crisis, difficulties in relationships or heartbreaks etc. whatever it is, depression is not born out of good/joyous situations. Challenges are faced daily and people strive to handle them victoriously even as they try to get in the way of daily living. As much as this happens, I have come to realize that thoughts play an important role in depression.

Thoughts are of utmost importance to everything you do and experience; the way you think about yourself when you are depressed is very different from how you thought before you got depressed. For instance;

“That clever A student who suddenly has the thought of failing an examination even after burning the midnight oil. . .”

“That very clever student who has very good brains, with very good results . . . Passed all the aptitude tests and exams but still won’t be given an admission into the university so he thinks he is useless. . . . .” When you are depressed, you have these thoughts and believe to be true.

Here are some of the signs or symptoms that you may experience when depressed;

Emotions or feelings

·       Feeling sad, guilty, upset, numb or despairing.

·       Losing interest or enjoyment in things.

·       Crying a lot or unable to cry when a truly sad event occurs.

·       Feeling alone even if you are in company.

·       Feeling angry and irritable about the slightest things.

Physical or Bodily Signs

·       Tiredness.

·       Restlessness.

·       Insomnia or sleeping a lot.

·       Feeling worse at a particular time of the day - usually mornings

·       Weight loss and appetite.

Thoughts

·       Losing confidence in yourself.

·       Expecting the worst and having negative or gloomy thoughts.

·       Thinking that everything seems hopeless.

·       Thinking you hate yourself.

·       Poor memory or concentration.

 Behaviors

·       Having difficulty in making decisions.

·       Can't be bothered to do everyday tasks.

·       Putting things off.

·       Not doing things you used to enjoy.

·       Feeling irritated.

       If you identify with three or more of these symptoms in any of the above sections, then you are going through depression. Also bear in mind that when you're depressed you believe that you're helpless and alone in the world; you often blame yourself for all the shortcomings that you think you have. At the bottom of all this you feel negative about yourself, the world and the future and as a result of these, you tend to lose interest in what's going on around you and you don't get any satisfaction out of the things you used to enjoy. It can then become extremely hard to make decisions or to carry out little tasks that you once did with no problem at all. When this happens, what you need is a change of perspective. Fine, your life may not be going the way you want it to but you can change the way you see it. Instead of moping about what is not working for you, the things you've tried and failed at, the feeling of uselessness and hopelessness, decide to see your life anew. For me, whenever I see myself going through depression, I take a walk or play music. These things clear my head and mind and then allow me to strategize anew. It is no use sleeping around, losing appetite over what is not when you can still do something about what will be.

The way you think about things affects the way you feel also, and this in turn affects the way you behave. Although it is difficult to change the way you feel, you can change the way you think. The mind is a fertile ground and whatever you plant on it have the capacity to yield bountifully so be careful what you do with it. Also, there is always something good in bad situations, you just have to look deep to see it. Change your perspective, change your thinking, and overcome depression.

For further help and counselling, email us at therapyme@gmail.com….