How to recognise depression and work through it
Sometimes it seems as if everyone’s depressed.
That may be because depression – or at least mental health – has been in the news a lot lately.
But despite the efforts to make mental health easier to talk about, many people still consider depression to be some kind of personal failing. Therefore depression is something we’d rather not admit to; thank you very much.
You may feel the same way.
And that’s a problem. Because if you or someone close to you is suffering with depression, unless you’re able to recognise what’s going on and start putting things right, it could wreak havoc on your life.
What could make depression even more challenging to accept is that work might be your problem's root cause. That’s a double whammy because you not only need to deal with how you feel but also take on the challenge of changing your job.
Depression is a mental disorder that causes people to experience low moods. These are often accompanied by a loss of interest in life, inability to experience pleasure, feelings of guilt, low self-worth, disturbed sleep, reduced appetite, low energy and poor concentration.
However, the important thing is that depression isn’t the same as feeling a bit unhappy or stressed. Someone who is depressed will feel intense emotions of anxiety, hopelessness, negativity and helplessness, all of which hang around
If you think you might be suffering, then learn how to recognise depression and work through it by identifying these symptoms:
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Lack of a good night's sleep.
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Inability to get up in the morning.
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Lethargy or lack of vitality during the day.
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Overeating or, conversely, under eating.
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Aches and pains which cannot be explained.
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Moving slower than usual.
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Increased uptake of alcohol.
In addition to these physical symptoms, depression can affect your behaviour, thoughts and feelings.
Other tell-tale signs that you might be suffering from a bout of depression include:
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Becoming agitated or tearful more quickly than usual.
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Gaining a sense of isolation from friends, family and colleagues.
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Loss of libido.
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Failing to enjoy things that you usually would.
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Finding it difficult to speak up.
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Loss of self-confidence.
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Developing a bleak perspective of the future.
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Lack of concentration.
Left unchecked, symptoms like these can have a very negative impact on your ability to work. They can fracture your good working relationships with clients, colleagues and even your manager.
You might find that your inability to communicate makes you seem disinterested or that the difficulty you have with concentrating leads to errors in your work. Sometimes, it could mean you keep turning up to work late and then not getting on with things effectively when you arrive.
Coping with depression at work
The first step in handling depression at work is recognising it for what it is. Being depressed need not be permanent; the symptoms can be alleviated if you are correctly diagnosed.
if you become depressed, it’s important to maintain your perspective and understand that things will get better. Everything changes. You will change and, above all, you will be okay.
Many people who endure a personal crisis find it life-enhancing in that it often leads to a breakthrough which helps them reappraise their choices and values. Soon they begin leading a more positive and inspiring work life.
But the first step in handling depression at work is recognising it for what it is. You should seek professional medical advice, which usually means booking an appointment with your GP.
Don't be worried about taking time off work to do this. - it could be time that is well spent and allows you to cope in the long run thereby avoiding a longer stint off work later because matters have been allowed to get too far.
As well as seeking professional assistance, you can try several things that may help you deal with depression and help you to continue functioning in your job.
These tips include:
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Taking regular physical exercise. By working out, your body releases natural chemicals which can improve your state of mind and overall positivity.
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Removing stress from your life. This could be by reassessing your work-life balance or dealing with work-related anxieties in new ways.
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Keeping in contact. Although it may feel like a tough thing, making contact with old and trusted friends can help you cope. A short phone call or text is often enough to get the ball rolling.
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Taking better care of yourself. If you let your appearance slip, try to make yourself feel better by dressing smartly and preparing for work each day with care.
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Switching to a healthy diet. Many professionals agree that healthy eating can have benefits for the state of your mental health.
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Writing reminder notes. Depression can cause you to be distracted, so a good coping mechanism is to write down key things on sticky notes or a pad.
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Reducing alcohol intake. Along with caffeine and tobacco, alcohol can make depression worse for many people so lessen your weekly consumption.
Along with these self-help tips a clinical diagnosis of depression may mean you can access further support.
And because it’s important to have as many tools available as possible when dealing with depression, here’s a summary of the most common ways of managing your thoughts and feelings. The key idea is to help you begin to feel better and get well in the here and now.
Counselling
Counselling gives you the chance to talk through issues which are bothering you and which could be causing your depression. It can also help you develop daily coping strategies.
Cognitive therapy
Cognitive therapy (sometimes called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT) addresses the way you think and helps you to move away from negative thoughts and behaviour so you can establish new, more positive attitudes that support your recovery.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a more intensive form of therapy that looks at how past experiences may affect you in the present. As it’s a more in-depth therapeutic approach, it may take longer to produce results.
Anti-depressants
It’s likely that your GP will recommend anti-depressants, either on their own or alongside counselling or psychotherapy. While anti-depressants work for many people, they have side effects and your GP will discuss these with you.
Coping strategies
For some reason, there’s a notion out there that if you’re depressed, you should just cheer up. But depression is as incapacitating as a broken leg and it’s impossible to put a smile on your face and just be okay. But being aware of your thoughts, changing the way you think and treating yourself well and with compassion are good ways to build yourself up and start getting well again.
Self-compassion
This can be one of the most difficult things to do as it requires you to be kind to yourself. But it’s important you give yourself a break from impossible demands (especially those you make on yourself), treat yourself well in small ways and admit you need support.
Crying
Crying is a very natural and healthy thing to do, especially when you’re feeling low or emotionally overwhelmed. It helps to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. In fact, holding in your feelings will probably just makes you feel worse. So allow yourself to have a cry if you need to.
Contact with friends
While it’s true your friends might not always understand how you feel, it’s crucial that you talk to them if you can. One of the downsides of depression is that you simply may not want to talk to anyone. It could be because you don’t want to be a burden to others or because your feelings are simply too raw. But your friends care about you and want to be there for you.
And if you’re afraid they won’t understand how you feel, just ask them to listen rather than give advice or trying to solve your problems. It’ll give you room to talk without anyone feeling you need to be fixed.
Just doing your best
When you’re depressed, you may have a tendency to try to be perfect. It’s a way of deflecting the fact that you feel a long way from being adequate or even ‘good enough’. But trying to be perfect won’t work. If you’re having a bad day, admit it then do your best to get through it. Be kind to yourself (remember compassion?) and take care of yourself. Help yourself by eating healthily, avoiding sugar (it really isn’t your friend), excess amounts of caffeine, and alcohol (which itself is a depressant).