June 14, 2016
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Signs of Depression
Unexplained Aches and Pains If you are depressed, you are far more likely to have unexplained aches and pains. These can be caused by just a general down feeling that affects the rest of your body also. They can also be caused by sitting around and doing nothing so that your body is not active. These are especially common among seniors who have a clean bill of health but yet are in a lot of pain most physically and mentally.
Boredom, Lack of Energy A common symptom is a lack of interest or enjoyment in the things that you used to enjoy. You will find that you can’t be bothered with your old hobbies that demanded your time and attention. You’ll start to drop activities which require mental and physical effort until the least demanding remain such as watching TV, playing games or surfing the Internet. If you find yourself spending more and more time reading websites or playing solitaire instead of indulging in your favorite hobbies then you are likely suffering from depression.
Unable to Make Decisions A depression strikes so your ability to make decisions deteriorated. Partly down to apathy and partly down to the fact you feel overwhelmed by everything. The low energy levels brought on my depression causes you to be confused when making a choice. Sometimes it will send you into deeper depression as you then beat yourself up over your inability to make a decision. Something as simple as choosing a movie to watch or choosing between brands in a supermarket can leave you completely paralyzed!
Irritability and Irrational Anger A common symptom of depression is irritability, where the smallest of things can really annoy you. Whether it is the cap being left off the toothpaste, a cup not put away or a queue on the freeway, the smallest of things can cause irritation. This can often blow up into anger, particular where it is surpressed and pushed down. Sooner or later you will snap which can even lead to you “going postal” (a phrase originating from postal works going crazy from their jobs). If you are flying off the handle at small things then the chances are there is depression at the root.
Forgetfulness Walking into a room and forgetting why? Standing in the supermarket confused as to what you came in for? Memory problems are an indicator to depression and if you are regularly forgetting things even down to appointments or what you were saying then depression could be the cause.
Trouble Concentrating When you find yourself reading a paragraph repeatedly, zoning out during a conversation or watching TV but having no idea what is going on then you are having trouble concentrating. Unfortunately this can have an impact in your job and so is considered a serious side-effect of depression. Even something as simple as writing an email or holding a conversation can become hard when depressed because you struggle to concentrate.
Feeling Numb With depression you can be cut off from your feelings. This means that you struggle to cry or feel emotions. Death and struggling to grieve can be signs as can the inability to grieve for any loss, of a job, house, pet or relationship. This numbness has an impact on your relationships and you can end up pushing your partner away because you “do not care enough to feel”.
Not Showing Up Another common sign is you stop showing up to events, whether meeting your friends, going to clubs or seeing your family. Depressed people often turn into hermits but this only makes their depression worse as company can help lift your mood. Excuses for not attending family gatherings or seeing friends is an indication of depression
Things Don’t Work Because Of You You know when the ATM doesn’t work? Or you can’t hit the right channel on the TV remote? When you are depressed that’s because you think you are a terrible person! This leads on to you apologising for just about anything and everything because you feel it is all your fault.
Excessive, Unpredictable Crying With some people depression leads to unexplained crying. You can literally find yourself crying over spilt milk! Depressed people can find themselves crying an awful lot but not over the serious stuff in life.
Personal Hygiene Issues As your depression deepens so you can find your personal grooming routine slowly evaporates away. Maybe you forget to shave or wash your hair for a day or two but it can soon escalate into a general unkemptness, dirty nails and stopping showering. Poor personal hygiene is an indication of depression because you literally do not care about yourself any more.
