Do I always feel unhappy, is it depression?
Is low mood depression?
People diagnosed with "depression" often describe their feelings like this:
"It's hard to get up in the morning. I just want to sleep with my head covered, hide from everyone. I don't want to talk to anyone. I don't want to eat, and I've lost a lot of weight."
"Nothing can interest me. I feel very tired all the time. I can't sleep well at night. But I have to grit my teeth and persevere because I have to go to work and take care of my family. I feel hopeless and can't see any hope of getting better. I don't think anything can get better."
"I feel terrible, like I'm old, I can't remember anything, and I can't figure things out. My mind is full of negative things. I try to be more positive, but I can't do it."
"I feel desperate."
We may all fall into this bad mood, but it doesn't necessarily mean "depression."
Emotional state is indeed a major manifestation of depression, but whether one has "suffering from depression" is that the "low mood" lasts for at least two weeks and seriously affects social functions (school, daily work, social interaction, etc.), and lacks interest in things, feels that everything is boring, and feels very tired. In addition, it will also affect physical aspects such as diet, sleep, and weight (such as severe weight loss, insomnia and easy awakening, etc.).
According to the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5, if you experience 5-6 or more of these changes in your mood and body for more than two weeks, you may be suffering from depression:
▸Persistently low mood, feeling empty and worthless;
▸Loss of interest in everything around you;
▸Indecisiveness, difficulty making decisions;
▸Difficulty in doing previous work and tasks;
▸Lack of motivation;
▸Feeling very tired;
▸Sleep problems, insomnia/hypersomnia;
▸Increase/loss of appetite, significant weight change
▸Behavior changes (irritability/slow movement)
▸Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
▸Loss of self-confidence, feeling useless, hopeless, and worthless;
▸Withdrawal from contact and conversation with others;
▸Depression;
▸Crying frequently;
▸Abuse/misuse of drugs and alcohol;
▸Recurring suicidal thoughts.
10 daily ways to relieve depression
1. Create an emotional "home" for yourself
Recall or imagine an environment that makes you feel comfortable, safe, and happy. This place may be the house you lived in when you were a child, the beautiful wilderness, or the home of a good friend when you were young, or even an environment you imagined to make you comfortable and happy. When depression strikes, you can secretly run "back" to rest and accumulate some energy. You can also anonymously complain or write a diary, find a friend or a psychologist. In short, expressing your true feelings in a way that you feel safe can effectively relieve negative emotions.
2. When you don't know what to do, "pause"
Stop for a while, don't dwell on specific choices, don't rush for an answer, let the direction and the real problem slowly appear. The key is to tell yourself: you can be sad, you can fail, or you can stop temporarily.
3. Pay attention to your body and return to the "present moment"
When you are sinking deeper and deeper into negative thoughts and cannot escape, you might as well move your body, put down your phone, take a deep breath, touch the objects around you, move your toes, take a walk, or do something small. The purpose is to focus on the present and pay attention to the feeling of the body.
4. Set very subtle but clear goals
Just thinking about "getting better" may make people more panic, but setting a specific and tangible goal will make people feel more in control and more able to make real changes. For example:
"I want to be happy" "I want to get rid of loneliness"
"Take a hot bath" "Meet someone you like"
5. Meditation, you can do this
Focus on your breathing, pay attention to the thoughts that come to your mind, imagine there is a conveyor belt (or railroad track) in front of you, when you have a thought, pack this thought, put it on the conveyor belt, let it go; the next one comes up, pack it, put it on the conveyor belt, let it go. Repeat.
6. When you are not so depressed, do some exercise
Research shows that exercise can help relieve depression. Yoga is a good exercise; walking, three times a week, 20-40 minutes each time, for six weeks, can also relieve depression symptoms. Walking with a partner or a group will be more effective, because social interaction can improve mood and increase motivation to continue exercising. Of course, when you are depressed, it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to move.
7. Remember the "Happiness 333 Principle"
Walking for 30 minutes a day, basking in the sun for 30 minutes a day, and eating three meals a day with others may improve your mood.
8. Don’t compare your pain with others
People’s pain cannot be compared. Don't blame yourself for other people's situations. Give up these thoughts: "I feel pain for such a small thing", "Others can do it, why are you so fragile", "Why can't you work as hard as others?" Comparison is the source of pain, and happiness from comparison is not true happiness. Acknowledge that everyone has vulnerabilities and that pain is real. Don't judge your own wounds.
9. Don't believe that others can do it, so can I.
Too much information tells you: I can, so you can too. For example: I can make a lot of money, and you can do it if you work harder. I can become very thin, and so can you. I can fight for the best school resources for my children, and you can't because you are not good enough.
However, many times, it is not worth your regret (what everyone fights for is not necessarily a good thing). This "I can, you can too" is a created illusion that makes you mistakenly believe that you don't have what others have, and you don't get some kind of reward or material because you are not strong enough or not working hard enough. Relax and live your own life.
10. Do more things that make you happy and meet more people who make you happy
Check how much time you spend with people you like in your life, and how many things you do that you like?
In fact, happiness is not only an emotion, but also an ability. When you fall into depression, don't be wrapped up by it. Consciously choose some things and people that make you happy, and talk to them.
