This article has lots of useful tips and advice on understanding depression. However, depression can be very challenging. So if you feel you could use some more support, we are here to help. If it feels right, you can always post on our discussion boards to get support and advice from our amazing Kooth young people. You can also request a chat with one of our friendly mental health practitioners.
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This article was written by a Kooth writer and contains the following themes: depression, sadness, low mood.
We all get sad or experience a low mood from time to time, and that is completely normal and part of dealing with the ups and downs of daily life. But depression is when that sadness or low mood doesn’t go away and it starts to interrupt the quality of your life.
Symptoms of depression
Of course, depression is experienced differently by different people and while some might experience mild symptoms, for others they are more severe. Here are just some of the more typical symptoms somebody with depression might experience:
- Low mood that lasts all or most of the day
- Changes in appetite
- Sleep difficulties or changes in your sleeping pattern
- Lack of motivation or interest in things you previously enjoyed
- Irritability
- Difficulty focusing on tasks or remembering what to do
- A feeling of sadness or emptiness that doesn’t seem to go away
How can you help yourself?
- Connect with someone – Don’t put pressure on yourself to talk about your feelings if it doesn’t feel right, but just simply connecting with somebody about anything at all, can sometimes help you feel better, less alone and give you a welcome distraction. Connecting also doesn’t have to involve talking – doing something like playing a game, walking the dog, or just sitting together watching a film can be a great alternative.
Keep a mood diary – this is a great way to track any changes in your mood and get to know any possible triggers.
Practice self care – taking care of yourself is so important, especially when you lose motivation to do so. For some ideas on self care, have a look here (insert article on self care link)
Move your body – keeping your body moving is a great mood booster and can also help to increase your motivation. This could be anything from some gentle stretches, a walk around the block, a workout in your bedroom or even taking part in a team sport.
Setting daily goals – setting yourself small achievable goals such as getting up at a certain time, walking the dog or even calling a friend can help increase your motivation at a pace that feels right for you.
Do something you enjoy – this is a tricky one when your interest and motivation is lacking but spending just a few minutes (or whatever feels manageable) doing something you usually like to do (E.g. walking, gaming, drawing, spending time with a pet etc) can really lift your spirits.
Express yourself – keeping your feelings and thoughts to yourself can be really tough and sometimes add to that feeling of loneliness and isolation. If you can’t or don’t feel able to talk to someone, expressing how you feel in different ways can be just as helpful. Listening to music, doing something creative or even releasing your feelings physically (like dancing in your bedroom or doing something sporty) can be really useful to get rid of some of those stuck or difficult emotions.
If you are concerned about your feelings of depression and would like to talk to your GP, many surgeries right now are offering telephone appointments as part of their altered service. For more information, do look on your surgery’s website so you can see what their procedures are at the moment. However you are feeling, you do not have to be alone with your symptoms.
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