Last night you came home tired and in “a bad mood” because of your boss’ “unreasonable demands”. Then, you gave your family member a verbal bashing over something. You skipped dinner, set off to work in the morning feeling guilty and hopeless. It is a folly to blame your behaviour on a foul mood or a though time, just because you are prone to moddiness. If you’ve had a spate of such episodes of late, you might be in the middle of clinical depression.
Just feeling low
Power-cuts or salary cuts, there are many occasions for us to feel down in the dumps. It’s part of day-to-day life. But usually, these feelings don’t last for too long. Below are some of the symptoms of ordinary mood swings:
– Avoiding communication and being quieter than usual.
– Avoiding participation in leisure activities or hobbies.
– Being alone and attempting to listen to music or reading.
– Being irritable to all those curious about your behaviour.
Note that all these symptoms do not last for long. Watching a flurry of sixes by Yuvraj Singh or just bumping into an old friend is all it takes for your spirits to rise to normal.
Danger Signs
So, when do you know you are a victim of clinical depression? Check if you show any of these symptoms:
– Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions.
– Decreased energy, fatigue
– Loss of intrest in activities that wer once enjoyed
– Feelings of guilt, hopelesness and pessimism
– Insomnia, early monring awakening or oversleeping
– Loss of appetite and weight; overeating and weight gain
– Suicidal thoughts
– Physical symptoms that don’t respond to treatements, such as headaches.
In such conditions all you have to do is help yourself:
– Wake up early in the monring and practise meditation and yoga.
– Pen down your felings in a diary.
– Avoid clutter in your house, it adds to depression
– Avoid monotony, take regular breaks.
– Jog or walk regularly
– Long baths and fresh cloths add to your confidence
If you recognise yourself as a victim of depression, destressing alone would not help you. You must let go of the stigma and seek help. Depression can be successfully treated with medication, or professional counselling.