HANDLING DEPRESSION

HANDLING DEPRESSION

I indeed welcome you to Tales by Olola, an educative page where we improve on who we are and what we do. I am your loyal host, Olabusola Olorunnowo. Our focus for today is HANDLING DEPRESSION.

Depression is simply a feeling of dissatisfaction about a situation or oneself. It often set in through slight unhappiness about a thing or two, with the mind ruminating on several negative thoughts, which later degenerate to bitter expressions.  Depression can happen to anyone, it is starts mostly from the teenage age then unto mid 20’s and could build up as a pattern latter in life if it is not treated on time. However, sudden excitement or grief by a third party can bring depression to another individual.  It equally not out of place to find out that some people have everything they desire yet they are unhappy or depressed and  It is also possible  that at times one may be unhappy and not knowing the reason for the sudden sadness. Unfortunately, the feeling of sadness is not experienced by some other depressed people. Suffice to say that the experience differ from one person to another.

FACTS ABOUT DEPRESSION

·         Depression is a real illness.

·         Depression affects people in different ways.

·         Depression is treatable.

·         If you have depression, you are not alone

It has no age limit

Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.

The dictionary conceptualizes it as:

"feelings of severe despondency and dejection.  Self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression"

		melancholy, misery, sadness, unhappiness, sorrow, woe, gloom,  gloominess, dejection,downheartedness, despondency, dispiritedness,  low spirits, heavy-heartedness,moroseness, discouragement, despair, desolation,  dolefulness, moodiness, pessimism, hopelessness.”

Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:

• • Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
  • Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism or guilty
  • Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities
  • Decreased energy, increased fatigue, being “slowed down”
  • Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
  • Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
  • Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
  • Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
  • Persistent physical symptoms
  • Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
  • Increase in restless activity, irritability  (e.g., hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech

Also, medical conditions (e.g., thyroid, a brain tumor or vitamin deficiency) can mimic symptoms of depression so it is important not to rule out general medical causes.

The issue of depression cannot be over emphasized. A good number of people are living in and out of depression and they tag it all sought of names: some would say, "oh sorry it is just an overreaction, mood swing, 5minutes madness, psycho reflection, It's my way of calming down, Time Out,  and much more. I have observed that in this part of the world we rarely accept that we are going through a state of depression neither do we go for counseling, due to our belief system, religion, social-cultural background.

Depression often makes an individual unconsciously restless, hence making some people to immerse themselves in office work: by resuming and closing at odd hours and their tenacity is assumed as been hard working. To state the obvious, this individual is one out of many who goes to work on all holidays, and other unwarranted times but I tell you if you search deeply, there is something such a person is not happy about. Some other environment where people are depressed yet hide under activity is in religious meetings: here you find a lot of church goers overwhelmed by church activities that you wonder if they have other lives outside church. It is not an offence to be devoted to God or humanity but it would be an offence to oneself to engage in all these activities not out of worship but as an excuse to run away from your inner battles.

Fighting Depression requires the some steps which are:

• Accepting or admitting that you are passing through this state.
• Search deeply about those things that trigger it and the reasons
• Look out for someone you can confide in, then talk to the person
• Talk to yourself daily about the good qualities you possess.
• Eat healthy.
• Keep an appreciation diary : note things you enjoy daily and set 10mins daily for activities that bring you joy
• Never stay alone: when u feel stressed please don't keep to yourself
• An healthy mind is a healthy person...mind what u feed your mind ... Your mental health is very crucial to your soundness... Forgive yourself & everyone that has hurt you... Gradually let the hurt go and there you go. Forgiveness aids sound mind.

Subsequently:

POST NATAL DEPRESSIONS