Depression isn’t just a case of feeling sad for a few days. Depression is way more than bad days. Depression also comes with many other symptoms, like not wanting anyone around you, yet not wanting to be alone. Not being able to sit still, yet not having the energy to move.
More often than not, the feeling of “sadness” is unexplainable when you suffer from depression. People can honestly say they don’t know what’s causing them to feel the way they do.
Depression happens, and unfortunately, you can’t tell when that is until it’s already happening. Life can throw many triggers at you that hurt your mental health. Let’s take a look at 5 things that might be fueling your depression. Once you pinpoint your little Depression Cheerleaders, you can work to get rid of them.
Pressure at work
People often associate pressure at work with stress. While this isn’t incorrect, more often than not, people are suffering from depression. This is caused by the constant amount of pressure they’re feeling each day at work.
If you work in a particularly high-stress job, maybe take into consideration that it might be your job causing your depression. Then you can take action to resolve the issue.
Maybe is not your job – Maybe it is actually a co-worker. Once you narrow it down, you can find ways to work around the trigger. Try moving your workstation or it could be time to finally ask for that promotion to a new department.
Trouble with conceiving
As a woman of “childbearing age”, I understand the pressures of starting a family. There are many women my age that has had troubles in this area. A lot of stress and heartache can come from not being able to conceive.
If you and your partner are trying for a baby, it can become very distressing when each month you discover that you haven’t yet conceived. You then wonder to yourself what’s wrong with you, and it spirals off from there.
Rather than pinning the blame on yourself, clue yourself up with knowledge on things like the best time to try for a baby and implantation bleeding so that you truly know how your body works. If you’re really worried and you are still having troubles. talk to your doctor.
A sick family member or friend
Another reason for feeling low and depressed might be because you’ve got a family member or friend who is extremely ill and things aren’t looking good. As someone who has gone through a few deaths in my time, I understand the stress having an unhealthy family member can cause. The worry and anxiety can push any sane person over the edge.
While there isn’t much you can do to help, it can very quickly make you feel depressed. Seek comfort from family members who are going through this with you and comfort each other. Losing someone is hard, but it’s important to look after yourself through all of it too.
Your Self-confidence
An extremely common reason for depression is the sheer lack of self-confidence. They should be no shocking matter. The way the media portrays women in this day and age has led to a breathtaking amount of suicides and attempted suicides.
This culture has brought us up to continuously compare ourselves to others. With social media at an all-time high and everyone glued to their smartphone, it is hard not to compare yourself to anyone else.
We are constantly bombarded with our cousin’s glorious trip to France or our old high-school flame’s new baby. If you let all this go to your heart, your self-confidence will soon be depleted.
Remember that nobody is perfect. No one has it all.
Social media is designed and used to put your best foot forward. There is no use in comparing someone’s outward appearance to your inward feelings. You will always lose. If you’re really struggling with your self-image or self-worth, speak to your doctor or a therapist for some guidance on how to overcome this.
A Fear
Finally, one of the biggest reasons for depression is trying to cope with a fear. Everyone has their own fears. Whether they’re irrational or not, they’re very real to the person struggling. If this is the case, speak to a cognitive behavioral therapist to help try and work through your fears.
Fear is an interesting topic to me. It is something that I have been on a self-discovery journey with over the last couple years. I’ve come to the realization that I have a ton of fears to deal with.
I struggle with the fear of success, the fear of failure, the fear of missing out. All these fears add up and start eating away at your mind. Everyone feels fear. But that does not mean that you need to act on it.
Acknowledge that you have the feeling and then move forward. If you wait until you “feel like it” to start doing something, you will never be able to get past your feelings. One of the best pieces of advice I have heard is to simply ‘do it scared’. If it doesn’t scare you a little then it’s probably not worth doing.
Start a Howl!