Depression. It’s a word that seems extremely scary, and a word that you might associate with the down and out people on TV and in the movies, but not you, because you’re just feeling a little bit sad, right? It's time to recognize the signs you're depressed.
The first thing to do here is to forget about every preconception of depression that you have ever witnessed, because the truth is that depression affects every single person in a different way. That being said, there are definitely a handful of signs that are universal amongst people who are suffering with a bout of depression. Whether you are only recently feeling down, or you have been struggling with something you can’t quite put your finger on for a long time now, here are some signs you're depressed to look out for that might help you to seek some help.
You find yourself being brought to tears by things and situations that never made you emotional before. You might have always been sensitive, but has there been an increase in your emotional response? That's one of the biggest signs you're depressed.
Depression doesn’t always equal sadness. It can also manifest in an increased irritability, being annoyed by absolutely everyone and everything and not being able to find contentment in any situation.
Rather than sad or angry, you actually feel completely numb to the world, as if it is happening without you but you don’t have the energy or will to start participating again.
If you are someone who has suffered from chronic pain in your life, you might find that if you are depressed, this pain feels much sharper and more frequent. It’s all tied up in your depressive emotional response.
You have been missing a lot of deadlines lately, both for work and for simple personal life matters too. This could be because depression is sapping your ambition to complete tasks.
Depression can really do a number on your concentration, stopping you from being able to focus on even the simplest of things. Your mind is preoccupied with a larger scale issue than the task in front of you.
Do you find yourself tired and wanting to sleep during the day, even if you have had a healthy amount of rest during the night? This is a classic sign of depression.
Depression can actually work to negatively impact your ability to recall appropriate words and your level of language fluency in general conversation.
Things that once excited you don’t seem to even pique your interest anymore. You find it hard to muster enthusiasm about much of anything.
You are finding it difficult to make a definitive decision about anything, even the smallest of plans feel like torture to be made because for some reason you can’t seem to make up your mind.
You have found that you no longer want to be out and socializing, even with your closest friends. You keep making excuses in order to not have to be in an animated group setting.