Depression can happen to everyone. And this does not mean that you are weak in spirit or even crazy. Some people suffer from depression for a long time, and some people recover from it quickly. Someone needs help, and someone has enough strength to cope with their own condition. Most often, depression occurs in women, and this is due to their increased emotionality and vulnerability. If you are reading this article, then you are also worried about depression - what to do about it, you know? We will try to help you with advice. But first, let's determine whether you really have depression.
Signs of Depression
Look at the list below and see if you can say something like this:
- I often feel anxiety or sadness;
- I feel guilty or useless;
- I am irritable and easily lose control of myself;
- I eat less or more than usual;
- I do not want to do even what used to be fun;
- I have too little energy to live a normal life;
- I sleep much more or significantly less than usual;
- I find it very difficult to concentrate;
- I do not go to work, I miss lectures or something else very important;
- I suffer from headaches and aches in the body;
- I started drinking alcohol to feel a little better;
- I have no plans or hopes for the future;
- It seems to me that my life will never be better;
- Something strange happens to me: I began to think more often about death and about causing harm to myself.
If you told yourself four or more times that these statements apply to you, then it is likely that you have really fallen into depression.
Causes of Depression
So, you stated: "Yes, I'm depressed!"If you really do not have any doubts in this, then it's worth starting the path to healing. After all, you do not want your future life to pass under the sign of despondency and hopelessness? But in order to know how to get rid of depression, it is not enough to make sure that you have it. It is necessary to understand still, why it at you in general has appeared. What are the causes that can cause such frustration? Here are the most common of them:
Among other things, the emergence (andthe course of depression), the type of thinking of a particular person can also have a significant impact. If you are an optimist, then even real trouble can not permanently take you out of action. Having succumbed to despair, such people very quickly realize: "Stop! My depression starts! We must act differently! ". Optimists by their nature are not inclined to think about something that could lead them to a sense of hopelessness. And if you are more pessimistic by your nature? Then you need to know which thoughts can lead you to depression in a direct way, and you need to try to avoid this type of thinking.
Thoughts that can lead to depression
According to the American psychologist Paul Hauck (and our Russian psychologists agree with him), three types of thoughts can seriously harm your psychological well-being:
Pity is expressed in the following thoughts: "It's so bad that I just do not have the right to be happy at this time. If I care about her, then I should be just as unhappy. And if I do not grieve, I will not be able to share her experiences. " Do you feel the difference? Instead of understanding and accepting the feelings of another person, while helping him to find the path from deep grief to the joy of life, you simply sink into despair together with him. Nothing but depression, wait after that and do not have to.
Biological and psychological causes of depression in women
There are also such causes of depression, which are typical only for women. This is due to the peculiarities of female physiology. Such reasons include:
- Premenstrual problems Hormonal fluctuationsDuring the menstrual cycle, these symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) familiar to each of us can cause. This bloating, increased fatigue, irritability and emotional reactivity. For many of us, PMS appears quite gently. But in some women the symptoms are so severe that they can destroy their psychological health, causing severe dysphoric disorder.
- Pregnancy and infertility Numeroushormonal changes that occur in the body of a pregnant woman can contribute to the onset of depression, especially if the woman is at risk. This also applies to other situations related to childbearing issues, such as miscarriage, unwanted pregnancy, abortion or infertility.
- Postpartum Depression Many young mothersexperience not only positive, but also disturbing emotions after the birth of the child. They are overcome by concern for the health of the baby, fear of responsibility, which comes with motherhood, and an immense sense of fatigue after a difficult period - pregnancy and childbirth. This is a normal reaction, and these fears pass within a few weeks. Nevertheless, some women experience very severe depression, which is called postpartum.
- Perimenopause and menopause Perimenopause - stage,leading to menopause. During these physiological changes in the body, women may be at increased risk of depression, because they have a major hormonal change in their bodies.
Psychological causes Features of the female psyche are also evident in the causes of depression:
- Focus on feelings and emotions Womenmore than men, are prone to thinking if they are depressed. We try to analyze our feelings, crying to reduce emotional tension, trying to figure out what led us to depression, tell our friends about our feelings. Nevertheless, all these reflections and conversations only fuel our depression and can even exacerbate its course. Here are men, if they fall into such a situation, try to get distracted from their experiences. Unlike constant conversations about their frustrated feelings, distraction from heavy emotions helps to relieve depression greatly.
- Dissatisfaction with your body Gender differences indepression become visible already in adolescence. Girls are very hard to perceive the apparent shortcomings of their appearance, which they find simply horrible, and this causes them the most unpleasant emotions. The same desperation can be experienced by an adult woman, if she thinks that she must meet some standards of appearance, but she can not do it.
- Exposure to stress Some studiesshow that in women much more often than men, against the background of stress, depression develops, and the level of stress can be much lower for a woman than the one that can cause depression in a man. In addition, the physiological response to stress itself differs from the reaction of the male organism, so depression in women occurs much faster.
What should be the treatment for depression?
Even the most severe depression can be treated, and the earlier to start treatment, the better. Some common treatments include:
- "Speaking" therapy. Discussing your problems with a psychologist, you can use it to find the best way to solve them. In most cases, such therapy gives very good results in the treatment of depression, especially if it is not too deep.
- Cognitive (behavioral) therapy will help change your negative thinking and behavior.
- Interpersonal (interpersonal) therapy focuses on your relationships with others and works to make them more positive.
- Purpose of antidepressants. If the doctor deems it necessary, he will appoint suitable drugs specifically for you that will help alleviate your condition. Pay special attention to the doctor's instructions on how to use the prescribed medication so as not to harm yourself.
Self-help for depression
Remember the moment when you said to yourself: "I am depressed!". You were able to understand this yourself? So, you can quite help yourself. First, learn to recognize and accept your emotions. And then you can make a huge gap in the wall, which surrounded you with depression, if you just try to change your lifestyle: start to rejoice at every new day, will act contrary to your desire to be isolated from others, will eat only healthy food and will definitely find time for rest and relaxation. Self-management of depression can take a long time, but you will significantly reduce it if you allow yourself to rely on the support of close people. Talk about your feelings with those you trust. You can tell yourself what kind of help you expect from them. Perhaps your loved ones will have to change something in their relationship with you; but they will go for it, realizing that everything will return to normal as soon as this difficult time ends for you. Try to be socially active, even if you do not really want it. When you are depressed, it is more comfortable for you to feel hidden in a thick cocoon. But being close to other people, you will not feel so depressed as alone. And if your help is needed by someone else, your own troubles will stop taking up all your thoughts. And be sure to go in for sports! Experts argue that regular exercise can be just as effective for increasing energy levels and reducing fatigue, as with taking antidepressants. So why should you drink medicine if you can help yourself in a more pleasant and safe way? For this, it is not necessary to attend a gym. A daily thirty-minute walk will give you everything you need to beat depression. Be sure to adhere to the rule: you need to sleep an average of eight hours! Typically, depression includes and problems with sleep. And if you sleep too little or too much, your mood will suffer greatly. Learn the habits of healthy sleep and be sure to adhere to the sleep and wakefulness. Try to go out every day on the street, so that your body receives the portion of daylight necessary for normal functioning. The lack of sunlight in itself is capable of causing depression, and is due to the chemical processes that occur in our body only under the influence of daylight. It is not necessary that the weather is sunny; your body will get everything you need, even if the sky is covered all day with clouds.
Ten Ways to Prevent Depression
In conclusion, we will give you ten more tips, which we recommend to elevate to the rank of life rules, which must be strictly observed.
Perhaps not all of our proposals will beacceptable to you, but they will definitely help to overcome the negative vision of the picture of your life. Well, if you think that you are facing too serious a problem of your psychological health, then do not hesitate to disturb your visit with medical professionals who will help you cope with the problem. We advise you to read: