Whats depression like?

Depression is like being stuck on a rollercoaster, except instead of the thrill of the ride, all you feel is nausea and dizziness. It’s that feeling when you wake up in the morning and can’t remember why you should get out of bed. We’ve all heard about depression at one point or another – those times it feels as if everything is against us and we don’t know how to move forward; but what exactly does it feel like? We’ll dive into that below.

The Elephant in the Room

It goes without saying that depression is different for everyone – there’s no silver bullet or one-size-fits-all explanation. However, we can look at some common symptoms people might experience and start taking off these gloves.

Anhedonia

Anhedonia basically means your mood has gone from 100 to 0 real quick. You suddenly lose interest in things (including former hobbies) which used to make you happy before. Even going through unsolicited textbooks becomes really tough and even more dull than they usually are!

Fatigue & Sleep Problems

You could be getting enough sleep hours everyday yet still constantly feel tired with zero energies left in reserve tank for anything else other than just breathing at times!

Guilt

Ever missed an important deadline because your mental battery was simply drained out? And then felt awful about yourself afterwards? That ‘awful’ feeling definitely gets magnified by 10 under majority circumstances with this condition called depression.

The Dark Side

Everybody loves a good Star Wars reference (AT-ATs, anyone?), but unfortunately so much around dealing with depression involves discussing its “darker” side:

Severe sadness/feeling blue

Have had feelings that seemed unexplainable even while simultaneously craving relief from them all through out?
This profound sensation accompanied by emptying oneself emotionally often highlights clinical depression.

Hopelessness

This is that feeling where you feel like there’s no point even trying to fight anymore – it can be described as being trapped within oneself.

Suicidal Thoughts

No one every dreams of having suicidal thoughts yet, they just suddenly crop out most times out-of-nowhere & have this strong ability to pull the ground right from underneath you.

The Horror Show That Is Depression

There’s a saying about depression that goes “it starts with sadness and ends in pure exhaustion”. This couldn’t be more accurate! Following are few of the ways depression manifests itself:

Indecisiveness/ Overthinking things

Making decisions becomes uneasy when dealing with undue pressure often imposed by over-analyzing small, insignificant matters which might lead to self-deprecation quite quickly.

Lack Of Concentration/Memory Loss

You would notice yourself zoning out on important tasks or missing significant parts of conversations. These issues generally arise due to persistent inability to concentrate for even short span periods, greatly magnified by low motivation levels commonly associated with depressions – A deadly combination!

Silver Linings Are Real – Look At You Reading Tis article!

While going through depressive episode(s) feels entirely like walking through quicksand day in-day-out; there is hope (I’m serious) because ultimately nothing is permanent and everything changes (In a good way too!) Here are some tangible next steps if you’re seeking relief from/dealing with depression:

• Seek Professional Help: There’s no shame at all in needing extra help during tough periods.
  • Therapy/Counselling– Cognitive behaviour therapy has proven particularly effective based on several researches conducted!
  • Medication – In severe cases medication really helps people get control over their emotions thus breaking free from the cycle of sadness-feeling tired-suicidal thoughts-helplessness-endless attempts repeat!
• Building Supportive Networks/Community:
  • Family and friends- being around loved ones helps alleviate the feeling of isolation.
  • Online support groups – With online communities, you can safely connect with people who have gone through something similar to what you’re dealing with.

The Grand Finale

Phew! We made it! Depression definitely is no joke; however, I hope this article was able to shed a little light on what depression feels like. Remember: You are not alone and help is always available. Reach out whenever necessary because giving up should never be an option (no matter how harsh life situations may seem).