We all have bad days from time to time for a variety of reasons, but how do we distinguish bad days from depression?
Depression affects 40 million adults in the United States alone. This number doesn’t even factor in the staggering number of adolescents who do their best to navigate depression.
Every aspect of mental health should be taken seriously, especially depression. Whether you’re reading this for a friend or yourself, take heed to these seven depression signs you should never ignore.
And don’t worry, we’ll discuss ways you can lift yourself out of what seems like a never-ending funk.
Contents
1. Hopeless Outlook on Life
When we fall into cycles of depression, everything adopts an unwarranted type of bleakness. When we look into the future, we feel nothing matters, no matter what we do or how hard we try.
The feeling of hopelessness is hard for some people to identify, especially when it’s a recurring part of your emotional process. Overall, feelings of hopelessness make you feel defeated, even if the day is only beginning.
2. Loss of Interest
A loss of interest in things that once pulled you in is also a sign of depression. The people, places, and activities that once brought you joy, no longer spark an interest.
This is one of the most noticeable signs of depression you can notice in yourself and others. You used to get joy and satisfaction out of a certain activity, but now, nothing.
3. Sleeping Issues
It’s common to experience extreme fatigue and sleeping issues when dealing with depression.
Some people stay in bed and oversleep, and others can’t sleep at all due to racing thoughts—it all depends on your personal situation.
However, most commonly, people tend to develop insomnia, making it extremely difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.
4. Changes in Appetite
Some of us lose our appetite during periods of depression, and some eat everything in sight as a coping mechanism. When people eat based on these emotions, it creates a soothing chemical reaction within the brain.
Changes in appetite are typical when you’re just in a bad mood or upset about something. Still, when it comes to the point you’re not getting the nutrients you need or overeating to cope, it’s time to seek outside help.
5. Suicidal Thoughts or Statements
We want to say it’s normal to think about “not being here” sometimes. Still, it’s not something healthy-minded individuals ponder.
Depression starts in most cases as a general sense of hopelessness or defeat and snowballs into a host of other symptoms and feelings the mind and body endures. When a person experiences these symptoms for so long, their mind goes deeper into depressive thoughts and actions.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please reach out and seek help from the National Suicide Prevention line at 800-273-8255.
Most people in these situations feel alone, but there are many resources available to those who need help navigating these symptoms.
6. Erratic Emotions
We all have mood swings. However, these shifts in mood result from various situations—financial trouble, relationship issues, and much more.
Most of the time, if we take an honest assessment of our actions and reactions, we can gauge just how much our emotions fluctuate and determine if it’s normal for our usual behavior.
What You Can Do Moving Forward
If you notice you or someone close to you falling into unhealthy cycles of depression, the first thing you should do is assess the severity of the situation. If you (or the friend) have thoughts of hurting yourself, you need to seek therapy immediately for your safety.
On the other hand, if you are dealing with some of the other symptoms mentioned above, you can start utilizing some helpful tactics to boost your mood.
For starters, most people have found great success in incorporating CBD into their daily routine. Not only does it work to boost mood, but it reduces stress and eliminates anxious, negative thought patterns that keep us in the web of hopeless feelings.
CBD capsules are pretty popular among those looking to alleviate depression symptoms because it’s a “one and done” serving method approach. You can start your day with yoga, meditation, or grounding—pairing it with a CBD capsule in the morning.
CBD works naturally in our system, thanks to the endocannabinoid system we all have. Moreover, it works wonders with the central nervous system, which greatly impacts depression symptoms.
It’s important to understand bad days will come around occasionally, and you may even feel defeated at times, but you don’t have to stay in that space. You deserve better; you deserve to be happy.
Whether it’s CBD, mediations, yoga, or dancing to Madonna on full blast—find your happy place and hold it close for the rest of your life!