What’s wrong with me? I can’t concentrate, I can’t finish anything, I’m not motivated, I want to stay in bed. Others around me are enjoying the sun, but there’s this damn cloud around my head that follows me eveywhere. Stop telling me to just get over it as if it’s my fault. I think I’m just going to stay home today and let my calls go to voice mail.
Everyone gets sad from time to time, but depression is more than just sadness. It can manifest itself as a prolonged sense of unhappiness on one end to what seems like a never-ending overwhelming sense of hopelessness and despair on the other. It can be brought about by something as simple as a negative pattern of thought; that inner voice that becomes stuck in a loop of recalling gloomy memories. It’s that negative self – talk, the replaying of negative statements on a loop. It's all of these harsh judgements you are making about yourself that ultimately bring you down and keeps you in a place of dispair. It’s the fear of change or the fear of failure that can contribute to a sense of helplessness.
Depression can reveal itself in the quiet of the night as you are trying to fall asleep or it can feel as though the sky is always filled with dark clouds, even when the sun is out. It can make you feel as though you can’t see the future through the fog, like you can’t see past, the horizon, or even the end of the day.
Sometimes you may be able to recognize when you are depressed, while other times you may not realize it. Your friends, family members, or coworkers may be the ones who notice it and bring it to your attention. Although common, depression is complex; it can be triggered by the many day to day unexpected and uncontrollable experiences we have throughout life.
If you think you may be experiencing depression, you may find it helpful to talk to a psychiatrist for medical support and with a therapist who can help you to identify why you are feeling the way that you are as well as provide you with the strategies to get you to where you want to be. The important thing to remember is that there is help out there, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. That inner voice can offer positive guidance so that you can soon find yourself experiencing brighter days.
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