Depression, because of its own nature, is prone to get worse and worse if you don’t spot it and do something about it.
The problem is we like to think it will go out on its own. Depending on what caused the depression in the first place, it can take a while for it to leave us and can get worse as a result. The scary part is we may not even be aware that it is getting worse.
These signs I’ll be mentioning here can help you know when the depression is only getting worse and finally seek out help. They won’t work for everybody, but if they resonate with you, I hope you’ll find them useful.
Disclaimer: I’m not a mental health professional or expert. This was written with my own personal experiences accompanied by some research I did on my own.
You Feel Like You Would Stay Isolated Forever
I don’t mean loneliness in the common sense. I am referring to extreme and exaggerated feelings of loneliness. When we’re depressed, we naturally withdraw ourselves from society as a coping mechanism.
This is normal. At least it is normal until the depression lasts a very long time. The last time I was depressed, it lasted about a month but definitely felt longer. I isolated myself entirely from my friends and family for a month.
When I was starting to feel a little better at about half the month, I wanted to link back with my friends, but I had this voice in my head telling me my friends had moved on. Basically, I made myself believe I had lost my friends.
This false realization shattered the healing I was beginning to experience, and the depression almost immediately started getting worse. These feelings of extreme loneliness caused my depression to last 30 days instead of 15.
Sleep Becomes A Foreign Concept
Sleeping becomes a very difficult thing to do when depressed.
I’ve had my fair share of late nights. But those only last a day or two because I have a deadline I had to meet and procrastinated until the last minute. When we’re depressed, it’s full-blown insomnia.
I am depressed, so I find it hard to sleep. Because I’m not getting any sleep, I have very low energy levels. Because I now have lower energy levels, I get even more depressed. The vicious cycle just continues.
So when you’re finding it impossible to sleep for days or weeks on end while depressed, it is a very strong sign it is making your depression worse.
You Withdraw Yourself from Everything And Everyone You Care About
This one feeds off the first and second signs. Depression is a very terrible thing. It is like a hungry monster that wants you alone with it. As scary as that sounds, it’s not too far from the truth.
Your low energy levels caused by lack of sleep and motivation accompanied with intense feelings of worthlessness can make it hard to socialize with people.
In the past, when I have my regular episode of depression, I cut people off, but not everybody. I allow my mom and my sister to come see me. They were very instrumental in my healing process. But when the depression gets worse, I cut even them off.
When you’re depressed and you find yourself progressively wanting to be more isolated or alone, it could mean your depression might be getting worse. Especially when you’re not like that when you’re normally depressed.
You Become Emotionally And Physically Numb
Heightened emotions create depressions. Depressions create watered-down emotions.
Sometimes, I get depressed after a very bad day, or after a breakup, or after failing an exam at school. Those events create feelings of guilt and worthlessness which in turn push me into depression.
During depression, our emotions are all over the place and so heightened, it’s dangerous to be alone with. This then prompts the brain to shut them off as a coping mechanism to control the situation.
This can make it difficult to find joy in doing the things you used to enjoy doing.
Remember the depression I said I experienced that lasted a month? Well, the feeling of numbness carried on for up to 1 extra month. I’m a digital artist and I love painting but I couldn’t for the life of me bring myself to draw.
If you start feeling numb while depressed, like as if nothing even matters anymore, your depression might be getting worse and you wouldn’t even be able to tell because you feel numb. It’s a problem.
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There you have it. Four reasons your depression is getting worse. If you spot any or all of the signs, please pay attention and approach a mental health professional or therapist so you can get some help. I wish you good luck, and you deserve good things.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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