DEALING WITH DEPRESSION

As a child, whenever I hear that someone is dealing with depression, I would always attribute it to poverty or ignorance. Now I know better, I have realized that dealing with depression can actually happen to anyone regardless of one’s social status or affluence. As a matter of fact, rich people have higher tendencies to be depressed because everyone feels that they have no reason to be troubled and most time they would rather die in silence than be perceived as being weak or vulnerable.

What is depression?

Depression is a mood disorder that involves a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It is different from the mood fluctuations that people regularly experience as a part of life.

Major life events, such as bereavement or the loss of a loved one can lead to depression.

There are many common types of depression:

1. Clinical depression; This is a medical disorder which is diagnosed where someone always has loss of interest resulting in an impairment in life.
2. bipolar disease: This is a disorder associated with extreme and spontaneous mood swings ranging from lows to very high and absurd moods.
3. Postpartum depression : This is a kind of depression that happens after child birth to a woman. it is not rampant in all women however when it occurs, it could lead to a woman having so many negative thoughts and possibly harming her baby.

Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that will help you to feel better. Sometimes, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or spending time with friends, can seem exhausting or impossible to put into action.

However, there are certain ways to prevent depression, some are:

1. Do not overestimate or put too much pressure on yourself: It is good to have goals and targets but when we put so many unrealistic targets, it could make us depressed when we have not reached our goals.
2. Stop unhealthy competition: it is good to compare yourself and your achievements with others and aim to attain a greater height, but when such comparison becomes an unhealthy competition, it could make you get depressed when you feel you have not achieved what others have, in life everyone has his own race and as we know comparism is a thief of joy.
3. Have healthy and good company: This could be either friends or family who you can share joys and issues with and have a sense of welcoming embrace, a safe place. Afterall a problem shared is half solved.
4. Develop a good spiritual orientation: This cannot be over emphasized as prayer and meditation always go a long way in averting depression.

If you have taken self-help steps and made positive lifestyle changes and still find your depression getting worse, seek professional help. Needing additional help does not mean you are weak. Sometimes the negative thinking in depression, can make you feel like you are a lost cause, but depression can be treated, and you can feel better!