Depression could be your worst enemy

I never in a million years thought that I would be a Psychology student… it still feels surreal because I never saw myself learning about the mind, the self and the society and actually enjoying it. I have taken interest in mental health disorders, particularly depression. I find myself asking, what is depression? How do you know you are depressed and how can you solve it? These are all questions I will try to answer in this post after doing some research of my own.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.” From this clinical definition I have deduced that depression is the bridge or rather thin line between sanity and insanity, stability and instability. From my own personal experience, depression has always felt like that home waiting for me whenever I feel useless, worthless or unimportant to the world but it is very important not to get comfortable in this home. Unlike the warmth, love and care which all fit perfectly with the ideal home, depression exists to destroy you. Depression will never build you up, it will only pull you down.

Clear symptoms of depression include sadness, loss of interest in things one used to love, feeling worthless, and lack of appetite, insomnia and suicidal thoughts which is the worst symptom in my opinion. If you have experienced these symptoms before, you have nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of because it doesn’t make you weak in any form of way instead it makes you strong because you can live to tell someone your story and also you can help someone who is experiencing what you have experienced before.

The unfortunate part about depression is it only takes one event to trigger all those symptoms or bring the feelings of depression back, therefore it is important to manage your depression in a way that won’t put you in a dark place once again. What I am writing might not work for all of you but it might help someone.

Ways to deal with depression may include:

· Talking to someone- if you can afford going to a psychologist, visit one and confide in him or her. If you have a friend you trust, talk to him or her. If you confide in your parent or guardian, talk to him or her. What is important is to avoid bottling up emotions under the pretense of “I am alright, I do not need help.”

· Find a distraction- if you love writing, write. If you love singing, sing. If you love playing games, play. Just find something to distract you so that you don’t focus on what is causing you pain. It’s sort of self-therapy.

Your mental health is very important because it determines your stability, your center of gravity. Don’t feel alone in a world with millions of people.

All it may take is one ear to listen in order to lift your spirits up.