What It Means to Be Depressed

Watch this meaningful video on what depression feels like before you carry on reading the article.

Depression is a scourge of the modern era. While it is true that there have always been depressed people, this day and age presents its own set of challenges that we have not been prepared for by evolution. In our times, getting past depression is a cerebral and emotional process.

This is a fundamental reality of life.

The seemingless endless pain of depression racks the emotional and physical health of the sufferer. In his or her state, the victim may fail to see the possibilities the future holds for him or her.

If you are feeling depressed, know that change is the only thing constant. What exists today will cease to exist tomorrow. The new is constantly replacing the old.

We live in a world where focus is valued very highly. There is nothing wrong with this. Reaching a state of perpetual focus is impossible. Trying to do so in the middle of a depressive event is even more so.

When you are struggling to handle that terribly blue feeling, it helps to allow yourself to get distracted by the things that surround you. Allow yourself to look at others. This will shift your mental emphasis from yourself elsewhere.

Know that depressed people often try to dissect themselves emotionally and mentally. This attempt almost always has an undesirable outcome. Allowing yourself to be distracted by healthy things will help you tide over urges to beat yourself up.

Every single person on the planet has moments of weakness. That's simply the way people are. It's totally fine to seek help at such times.

If you are feeling terribly low, know that the support of someone mature can make your struggle way easier to handle. Do not hesitate to ask for help. Doing so will, apart from making you feel less blue, also help make a relationship stronger: the relationship you share with the person who is helping you. Perhaps there will come a day when you will be able to help him or her in his or her moment of pain.

Seek out a psychotherapist or counsellor if you must. Mental-health professionals are trained to maintain confidentiality. A certified therapist will help you get rid of the emotional baggage causing you to feel low. He or she will be able to help you develop a positive outlook toward life and also aid you in developing effective strategies to cope with the moments of stress and sadness that could possibly arise in the future.

If you are experiencing depression, know that it will take time to subside. Don't do anything rash in the interim. Know that you will need your entire being intact to experience the fullness of moments of joy when things do get better.

Patience is the most impossible virtue for you to exercise at this moment, yet it is the most important at this juncture.

Don't do anything that you will likely regret in the future.

Perhaps everything is going downhill in your life now. Perhaps your worries appear bigger than any other aspect of your life. Yet, it is important that you exercise the ability of reaching out in solidarity to someone who is in a difficult situation. Doing so will help the person and also have a very therapeutic effect on you.