Self-Improvement
8 Habits of People With Concealed Depression
Feeling low? If you are perpetually tired, lacking initiative, physically and morally weak, excessively workaholic, or pretending to be happy, it’s quite possible that you are depressed.
Depression, usually hidden, is not mere sadness and it’s not that easy to ‘buckle up and get going’.
Although only professional doctors can diagnose and cure the many complexities of depression, here are 8 significant symptoms which may help you recognize this deep-rooted problem.
1. Blurry thoughts
Depressed people usually have blurry thoughts and expressions like “what’s the point in eating?” rather than “I feel less hungry these days”. As a matter of fact, definite thoughts give us definite reasons for happiness and, this precisely, is what lacks in a depressed state.
2. “Excuse me!”
If depressed, you keep coming up with vivid excuses to cover your desires. You avoid being with other people who you fear might worsen your already unstable emotional state.
3. Numbness
Depression often makes you numb towards your surroundings. You stop feeling inevitable pain, avoid expressing your opinions, are oblivious to insults and avoid conflict by agreeing with everyone.
4. Physical Pain
When depressed, you are likely to feel pain in the heart, head, stomach or any other part of your body, even though all your medical reports suggest that you are absolutely okay and healthy! These pains cause anxiety which in turn leads to more depression.
5. Obsessively looking for answers
Depressed people are often obsessed about certain repetitive thoughts with the illusion that they are looking for answers to their problems. In fact, they are absentminded and keep worrying about a single problem over and over again, instead of converting their thoughts into action.
6. Looking dishevelled
The unstable internal state during depression takes its toll on your outer appearance. A depressed person is more likely to not care at all about personal hygiene and the cleanliness of their homes. This is true even for those who are ‘usually’ less inclined towards neatness.
7. Inaction or Hyper action
Depression makes a person incapable of keeping up with their daily routine and one becomes forgetful of information, gets tired pretty easily and regards every action as meaningless. It is also true that lazy people may suddenly become hyperactive, immersing themselves in tight schedules and counting their rewards, in order to evade their sensations and instill sense into their lives.
8. “I am fine!”
Most depressed people tend to put up an ‘I am fine’ appearance in order to cover their emotional condition. They present themselves as extremely happy and carefree, and are very likely to avoid any serious discussion with an apparently exuberant laughter. Their true self is only rarely expressed in long intimate conversations.
What can be done?
1. Guides like Beck’s Depression Inventory and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale can help you to get a clearer picture of whether you are depressed.
2. If your loved ones are depressed, try helping them by discussing their problems. However, if they are not comfortable talking, let them be on their own and observe them closely, at least for a few days.
3. Be sensitive! Avoid giving advice like ‘stop it’ or ‘cheer up’ as they are useless in these situations. Do not make fun of, or joke about the problems of a depressed person.
4. Help a depressed person with their daily routine, as depression often exhausts their physical and mental strength.
You should also read: 10 Heart-Breaking Truths Depressed People Never Talk About
5. Forcing a person in depression to be active, unless they are ready, is not a desirable option.
6. Depression might be communicable. Reconsider your position time and again if you are in close relations with a depressed person.
7. Seek professional help if necessary. “You do not need a doctor for this”, is nothing but a stupid myth.
8. Be aware of, and caring about the conditions of a person undergoing depression. In other words, be their much needed support system.
We are living in times of heightened social anxiety and immense screen addictions, where depression is a common and profound problem. The solution to this great problem of our time begins with our sensitivity and sensibility towards our mental conditions, as well as of others around us.
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