Getting out of depression

Idea

Feeling "down" from time to time seems to be a part of the human experience. It is never a pleasant feeling; but it is usually endurable because it doesn't go on forever. Some people, however, seem more prone to depression. They have more frequent experiences of the "moody blues" and the duration of these feelings often last for long period of times.

Symptoms of depression

• Feeling sad, lonely, down
• Feeling excessively self critical, worthless
• Loss of self esteem
• Unexplained teariness or weeping
• Feeling tired, energyless, exhausted
• Changes in sleep patterns; i.e., insomnia, wanting to sleep too much or not at all.
• Changes in eating patterns; i.e., eating too much or loss of appetite
• Loss of weight
• Feeling empty, hollow, lifeless, dead
• Disinterest in everything and anyone
• Irritability
• Concentration problems
• Vague complaints about bodily symptoms, e.g., backaches, headaches
• Decrease in communication
• Withdrawn behavior
• Highly agitated behavior (in an agitated depression)
• Exaggerated excitement; person looks as if he/she is trying to hard to appear happy

Depression - anger turned inward
From a very general point of view, anger is a reaction to feeling helpless and out of control. It is an unpleasant feeling. Some people decide to to take an easy way out and suppress the anger. What they don't realize is that this style drives anger beneath the surface and forces it to find a more indirect avenue for expression, such as depression. Suppressing anger is like treating symptoms. Any relief is only temporary. Permanent relief comes only when the root causes of anger are handled.

Analyze the reasons for suppessed anger
If you have often or permanently depression, you might try to “search your feelings” to find your suppressed angers. Normally they fall into the following categories:

“Failure” to live up to ideal

People often talk about being angry with themselves because they have not accomplished or achieved what they think they should have. It might help to thoroughly scrutinize your goals/ideals and determine how realistic they are. If you identify unrealistic goals, scrape them or adjust them to be realistic (they can still be ambitious).

Problems expressing anger

Some people consider anger as a useless emotion. Some believe that anger is “bad” (e.g. their parents thought them so). It might be helpful to try some of the anger management techniques techniques. Learn to acknowledge your anger, express the anger without hurting others and use the energy that the anger generates to handle the root cause in a constructive way (be assertive).

Empathic failures by others

When important people (parents, relatives, bosses) fail to respond (understand, recognize, acknowledge and/or appreciate) in a way that we hoped they would, that can be a sufficient emotional injury to cause a depression. Their message can be interpreted as we are not good enough, worthwhile or important. It might help to analyze the reasons for their response. Conclusion can often be that it was not their intent to hurt us. Normally they tired to achieve the best possible outcome for themselves. It is also important to realize that we have very little control over what other people think. You can achieve some improvements if you further develop your influence and persuasion skills.

Reactions to life events

Various kinds of losses (divorce, moving to a new place, the end of a romantic relationship, a good friend moving away, the death of a loved one) elicit strong emotional reactions. It might help to focus on the future and gradually figure out how to adopt to the new situation.

Limitations and Side Effects

The information provided here is not a replacement for professional advice or care. If you require expert services, please seek appropriate professional care.