Less Popular Signs of Depression That We Should Pay Attention To
Depression is so much more than momentary sadness. This is why statements like:
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” “there’s always someone who has it worse,” “but your so blessed,” or the one that gets under my skin, “life isn’t fair.”
These statements are dismissive of that person’s feelings and make them feel isolated, which can send them deeper into their depression. We often react the way people around us react to us. So if you’re always hearing that you need to ‘get over it,’ that most likely going to be your response. But not every situation calls for us to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and keep pushing. Sometimes we need some help to get through something or a series of events that have knocked us down and there’s absolutely no shame in that.
Depression can wear many different faces and appear in many different ways. These are some of the more surprising signs that aren’t always associated with depression.
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You’re Short Tempered
We all have bad days where nothing seems to be going right or we just don’t wake up in the brightest mood; it’s normal. But when this is an everyday occurrence something may going on. Depression can be angry, argumentative and irritable. If you or someone around you is consistently short-tempered and (what may seem like) the smallest situation causes rage, they could be experiencing feelings of depression. Depression taps into our negative emotions, which don’t always manifest as sadness. Just like one person can react to bad news with tears of sadness, another can be angry.
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You Just Can’t Stop…
Shopping, eating (we’ll talk about this some more), scrolling through social media, drinking—any addiction can be an indicator of depression. When your indulging in anything excessively and feel like you have no control because you just can’t stop, it’s addictive. These actions are mostly used to escape reality and avoid certain thoughts and emotions. The things you become addicted to may seem harmless but anything done too much isn’t healthy or can be indicative of an unhealthy condition. But they are coping mechanisms that provide temporary satisfaction.
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You’ve Stopped Self-Grooming
Hygiene and your personal appearance may have been important to you at one point, but it has become an unnecessary chore. Even if you didn’t put much thought into these things before, depression can cause you to completely do away with the idea of washing your hair or choosing jeans over sweats. Neglecting our external appearance can be a strong indicator of what’s going on internally.
No matter how depression shows up, there are no symptoms that are lesser than the others. You don’t have to get over it because there are others going through worse. It’s so much healthier to seek help instead, which I know can be difficult. But talking to someone can help pull us out of that state of mind. Also, recognizing these signs can help us identify when someone may need’s you to lend a hand or show support.
Exercise and meditation can help you feel happier and healthier on their own, but here’s what they can do for depression when done together.
At CWC Coaching, our team consists of licensed therapists, life coaches, and counselors. We assist clients with self-improvement, career development, negative self-talk, psychological pain, self-sabotaging behavior, past hurts and finding your purpose.
If you are ready to increase your self-awareness and happiness, breakthrough limiting behavior and understand your purpose in life, we’d love to help guide you on this journey.
