Depression Checklist

Mandy has been working in the mental health field for more than eight years and has worked with a diverse group of clients. These range ...Read More

Have you lost enjoyment in things you used to find fun?

Do you feel that the future is bleak and without hope?

Are you sleeping too much?

Are you eating too much? Eating too little?

Are you avoiding others and isolating yourself?

If you answered yes to two or more of the above questions, you may be living with depression. We all go through tough times but depression is different. It is like being stuck in a dark tunnel with no way out…it feels as if nothing will ever come right and that everything is hopeless.

It can be easy to lose perspective but don’t give up. Change is a constant and under these circumstances, change is definitely your friend.

A person going away for one night would be foolish to pack enough for the year but this is what happens to our thinking when we are depressed. We see everything as insurmountable and impossible. Stop worrying about another other time except for NOW. Live for the next 24 hours..that’s all.Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen? Even if that did happen, what could you do to help yourself or manage better? There is always a way but often we don’t have access to the light at the end of the tunnel when depressed.

Remind yourself when in that dark pit that the light is there, you just can’t see it right now but wiggle and shift a little and it might appear. Acknowledge that your thinking is ‘off’ and don’t take heed of your thinking. Let the negative thoughts pass – they are in your head, they are not reality.

Be kind to yourself when depressed. Take some time out and don’t feel guilty. Give yourself a time limit though and if your mood doesn’t shift, go see your doctor.

See the hard times as an opportunity to learn about life and about yourself. Break it down into baby steps and make a decision to crawl your way out of that black tunnel. The light is there…go find it.