The topic of our blog post this time is depression. Nowadays, we throw around the word depression quite easily. “Ugh I failed my test, I’m so depressed now.” “My best friend didn’t answer my text, she hates me, everyone hates me, I feel so depressed, I can’t. I. Just. Can’t.” *sobs* Depression refers to severe dejection for a long period of time (at least 2 weeks according to the holy book of diagnosing mental diseases – the DSM [diagnostic statistical manual]). And honestly, what most of us experience when we feel very, incredibly sad is just pure sadness. Emotions fluctuate, we slip in and out of sadness, and that’s perfectly normal. There is no constant state of happiness and we shouldn’t have to feel happy all the time. Most of the time we’re just in a state of meh. So constantly striving to achieve happiness is unrealistic guys. I like to think of sadness as a rainstorm. It’s horribly terrifying when you’re in it but when it passes, everything becomes clearer. Embrace sadness, because it’s part of life.
Clinical depression (or known by the white coats as Major Depressive Disorder) is serious. We often jump around feeling uncomfortable when we hear ‘mental disorder’ or ‘mental illness’. Our society has stigmatised depression to such an extent that it has become taboo to talk about it. This obviously has to change. When we have the flu, we run to our mothers for coddling and comfort, why is with depression that we automatically close in on ourselves. Is it reasonable to blame ourselves for something that isn’t necessarily our fault?
We might be genetically more prone to depression, our cultures have an impact on how we are able to talk about our struggles, the way we express ourselves and we’re taught ways in which we should live our life from a young age.
But, the mind isn’t as fragile as you think. We didn’t evolve for thousands of years by avoiding problems. We are resilient and we should talk about the things we fear. For example, I’m terrified of the iB but it’s not like I go around sticking my head in the dirt avoiding the iB. So don’t be afraid to talk about it. Make the space for the conversation to be available. It’s really quite easy. A simple question like “how are you feeling today?” does a lot for someone even if you don’t know it. If you feel like shit, say so. If you feel on top of the world, shout it out. No one is expected to be perfect, that’s just boring and monotonous.
Wondering about the symptoms of depression? It is often diagnosed when five or more of these symptoms persist every day for two weeks or longer. The acronym “SAD CAGES” can help you better remember these symptoms:
- S– Sleep disturbances (Insomnia/Hypersomnia)
- A– Appetite change (Can lead to a weight loss or gain)
- D– Depressed mood of feelings of sadness over a sustained period of time (feeling gloomy)
- C– Concentration problems
- A– Anhedonia: Loss of interest in enjoyable activities
- G– Guilt or shame
- E– Energy and enthusiasm low (feeling tired, agitated or restless)
- S–Suicidal thoughts due to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness.
How do we combat depression?
- Know that people are there for you, you’ll have to play a very small part, to ask them.
- Find the right treatment plan for you because not all medication works for everyone. *
- The wellness center in our school is a good place to consult
- It’s not your fault. One of the common symptoms of depression is feeling guilty, know that it isn’t you. Not convinced? A little
Here are some things you can do to make yourself feel better when you’re feeling low:
- Go out for a walk in nature, it’ll clear your head and you’ll come back energised.
- Put on a meditation playlist (maybe even light a scented candle!)
- Enjoy your favorite comfort food (as long as you don’t have it everyday, if it’s healthy BONUS POINTS !!)
- Move! Not a fan of running and being all sweaty? Give yoga a shot! (You don’t even have to leave the house :))
- Put on your favourite playlist, time to jam fellas.
- Talk to people who you feel safe with; your friends, a parent, someone in school, just someone you trust. No one is going to judge you for seeking out help.
*There are many treatments out there like the Ndeup in Senegal. If you’re interested, here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UBgBpFGODI&feature=emb_logo
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