Depression

Everyone feels down at times in their life and talking to a trusted friend or someone close in your family can usually help to make us feel better again. However, when the feelings of sadness, loss of enthusiasm, emotional fatigue or lethargy persist, it can affect how a person feels about themself, their future life and other relationships around them. 

Depression describes a persistent condition that isn’t easily shaken off, and lingers without apparent reason.  Depression can really impact on your enjoyment of life and make everyday tasks very difficult to complete. 

Depression is diagnosed by a Psychologist or General Medical Practitioner on the basis of information you might give him or her.  Depression may be diagnosed if you report experiencing 5 or more of the following things over the past 2 weeks: 

  • Depressed mood most of the day, may feel sad, empty or tearful 
  • Diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all activities 
  • Significant increases or decreases in weight 
  • Fatigue or general loss of energy and or enthusiasm 
  • Sleep disturbances, sleeping too much or not enough 
  • Difficulty remembering information, slowed thinking and a lack of concentration 
  • Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness or guilt 
  • Social isolation 
  • Recurrent thoughts of death, some depressed people will think about or even try suicide 
  • It is important to note that some of the physiological responses listed above may be due tomedication, illicit drugs or alcohol.

Tips for Managing Feelings of Depression

If you think you might be experiencing depression or if you are aware that you are feeling down without an apparent reason, there are some things you can do to help yourself feel better. 

Depression can be eased by doing more of certain things and avoiding others. 

 

Things to avoid: 

  • Alcohol changes your mood and has the long-term effect of compounding any mental health problem, so try to minimise or stop drinking alcohol. 
  • The same tip applies to the use of illicit or recreational drugs. 
  • Try and avoid bad news e.g. consuming violent and or sad TV, books and other media.
  • It may seem like a simplistic strategy but when you feel down, bad news about world events for example, can exaggerate feelings of sadness or helplessness and leave you feeling increasingly down. 

 

Things to do more of:

  • Maintaining or increasing physical fitness and activity:  Research has repeatedly shown that physical activity increases particular brain chemicals that help ease depressive states. 
  • Maintain healthy daily routines: Depression has the tendency to push us out of our usual routines into unhealthy habits like sleeping and eating too much or too little. Try and maintain a daily routine of sleep & work and stick with normal eating habits. 
  • Plan activities: It’s hard to experience enjoyment or a sense of achievement when you are depressed so it’s important to plan activities for yourself that you know are likely to help you feel better: hobbies, socialising, playing with pets or buying something nice for yourself. 
  • Keeping occupied: Tasks that bring a feeling of completion or achievement are valuable tools for improving your mood and outlook. Some examples are cooking a meal, mowing a lawn, helping another person, completing a jigsaw or writing an email to a friend. 

Any of these simple things can make a difference to how you feel and at least distract you from the other feelings associated with depression. If feelings of depression do not ease significantly, it’s best to talk with a professional medical practitioner or a mental health specialist.

Get In Touch

If we are your EAP provider and you would like further support, you can book a confidential counsellor session on 1800 818 728 or login to the booking portal to schedule a session. 

For all other enquiries, feel free to contact us

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