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HAS DEPRESSION TAKEN OVER YOUR LIFE ? 

 

Consider the following questions:

• Is life feeling dull and uninteresting?

• Do you feel stuck in a rut?

• Do you feel you are living in a dark or foggy cloud of negative thoughts about yourself or life?

• Do you feel an overwhelming sense of numbness?

• Do you have a constant feeling of sadness and lack of motivation?

• Do you feel isolated from everything and everyone around you?

• Have you gone through a tough situation and don’t seem to be able to bounce back or move forward?

• Do you wonder if you will ever find true happiness again?

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Are you ready for a brighter, lighter future? Are you ready to look forward to things again?
 

If you answered, “yes” to any of these questions, depression counseling might be a good choice for you. At times, feelings like those listed above can get in the way of enjoying the things you once were very passionate about, such as hobbies, careers and relationships.  

 

For many, it often doesn't end there. Feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness may come up, leaving you to wonder what life’s true purpose is and how you fit in it. You are left to wonder how “good” you are at parenting, relationships, your jobs or your friendships. It may even make us wonder if our looks are “good enough” or “appealing to others.” Those thoughts become overwhelming and exhausting.

 

You may have also noticed changes in your sleeping patterns and eating habits. These can go either way, either eating too much or too little, sleeping more or less, or simply interrupted sleep patterns resulting in feeling fatigued every morning. It doesn't help that you have to get up and take care of your countless responsibilities that don’t go away because you are feeling depressed. Depression should be taken seriously as it significantly affects the way you function in your daily life, and makes you feel as if something big is missing from your life.

 

While depression doesn't wait for the "right" time to show up, it can often start after a life-changing event, like the loss of a friend or loved one, the end of a relationship, not being able to attain a goal or too much stress, amongst other reasons. Often, people look for different things to escape the weight of depression. Unfortunately, that need to escape can lead to excessive alcohol consumption, substance abuse and addiction. 

 

For others, depression appears to take hold without a particular reason. They experience negative thoughts about themselves and about life, such as general unhappiness and lack of motivation in doing things and socializing like once before. 

 

Another mental health condition that has symptoms similar to depression is called Bipolar Disorder. This mental illness can be very weakening. With mood swings ranging from depressing lows to manic highs, Bipolar Disorder can cause pain in your relationships with a spouse, partner, friends and family and at home, school and work. Depression therapy and having a psychological evaluation may be beneficial to determine the cause of the symptoms and plan a strategy for addressing it.

 

These types of mental health problems are common, but help is available.