Depression

Depression comes with various levels and intensities. At one extreme it causes you to question your very existence, at the other it may feel like you are just out of sorts and any day now you’ll be back to your old self. 

One of the common misunderstandings about depression is that it’s just a feeling of being sad or down. The symptoms of depression can last for months or years and can make it difficult or impossible to carry on with daily life.

Depression steals the joy from a person’s life. Things can begin to feel hopeless, energy can decrease and self-esteem vanishes.  Everything seems more difficult to accomplish as you lose the ability to focus and concentrate. Avoidance and escape from social interaction can become a “go to” for coping as decisions become harder to make and you begin to believe no one  wants to be around you.. 

At a physical level, eating and sleep may be disrupted. You may find it difficult  getting to sleep or staying asleep. On the other hand, you can spend hours asleep during the day but never feel refreshed. Food may be unappetizing or you may use it to find comfort. Weight loss or gain draws further unwanted attention to you unhappiness.

Being depressed is not a choice! This is not something that a person will just “snap out of”. Unlike typical sadness or worry, depression feels all-consuming and hopeless. The symptoms of depression can last for months or years and can make it difficult or impossible to carry on with daily life. It can disrupt careers, relationships, or even simple daily tasks such as self-care. 

There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one’s life. 

Viktor E. Frankl