If you are feeling sad, melancholy, and struggling, you may wonder if what are you experiencing is normal. While feelings of sadness are normal and pass, depression can be physiologically based and need treatment. The difference is based on severity and duration. If the symptoms are keeping you from your daily life like work or taking care of your family, you likely need help.
Here are some general symptoms of depression:
- Fatigue. You may be spending less time with friends, exercising less than usual, or missing work due to fatigue.
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness. Persistent thoughts of not being good enough or being to blame for things are key to watch out for. Negative thought patterns can be part of the depression cycle that worsens symptoms.
- Pessimism and hopelessness.
- Insomnia, waking too early, or sleeping too much. Whether you are hiding under the covers to escape or unable to sleep due to anxiety and racing thoughts, they can both be signs of depression.
- Irritability. You may be snapping at family members or co-workers over things that normally wouldn’t bother you.
- Restlessness. Racing thoughts, inability to focus, or difficulty calming down are signs of depression.
- Loss of interest in things once pleasurable, including sex. A significant change in the interest of pleasurable things is a key indicator of depression. Look out for isolation which can exacerbate depression.
- Overeating, or appetite loss. You may be overeating, binging, or forgetting to eat. Any of these changes can be a sign to address.
- Loss of focus. You may forget about a work deadline or forget what time to pick up your kids. Depression can be like a grey cloud that prohibits clear thinking.
- Aches or pains that won’t go away.
- Digestive problems that don’t get better, even with treatment.
- Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings.
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts. Thoughts of how you might end your life or how people might be better off without you are danger signs. Please reach out for help immediately.
Life is filled with stressors and transitions. If you have been feeling depressed for more than two weeks, you may need help. Help can be obtained from a spiritual counselor, a psychiatrist, or therapist. Some people take the first step to see their general practitioner. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255. There are counselors available 24 hours a day to support you. There is hope. Reach out today.
One step at a time, one day at a time, you can recover. At Design For Change, we offer refuge to those seeking to win against addiction because there is freedom in recovery. There is hope. Call us today to learn more about our long-term treatment programs and recovery services creating change, one step at a time. (877) 267-3646