REDISCOVER YOUR HAPPINESS🦋🌞

4 ways to deal with depression

The occurence of depression is like a common cold today. It is the first leading mental illness to become a major global public health crisis .

The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates described it as syndrome of ‘melancholia’ ,he characterized it as “fears and despondencies ,if they last a long time “. The term depression itself was derived from the Latin verb *deprimere*, “to press down”.

Clinical vignette

Let’s understand it with a case study .

A 30 year old married woman suffers from chronic low mood and lack of enjoyment of life .She is highly dependent on her husband for practical and emotional support, although she frequently flies into rages at him ,feeling that he is cold and uncaring.she has had a series of secretarial jobs which she begins enthusiastically,but soon comes to feel that her employers are highly critical & belittling,whereupon she resigns. Her friendships are limited to people with whom she can have very special, exclusive relationships. She deals poorly with change or loss ,which frequently trigger episodes of acute dysfunction.When a friend is not sufficiently available to her , she feels betrayed and worthless,her mood plummets ,she becomes lethargic ,her eating binges and is unable to work or pursue her usual routine for up to weeks at a time.

Now it’s imperative to make a note here that depression is different on every individual ,the symptomatic picture is unique to each his own .

The above stated case is an inside look of how depression feels like , it feels like a downward spiral .

Often people with depression have signs and symptoms of :- According to Diagnostic statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM – V/5)

• Persistent sad mood most of the day ,every day ( feelings of emptiness, appearing tearful)
• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all or almost all activities ,most days , every day.
• Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain , decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day .
• Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation( feelings of restlessness or being slowed down) nearly every day.
• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, inappropriate guilt nearly every day .
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness nearly every day.
• Recurrent thoughts of death , suicidal ideations ,or suicide attempts .
• Symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social , occupational or other important areas of functioning.

Well , having mentioned this , every illness has a cure & a wonderful news is Depression is absolutely treatable. The vicious loop can be broken .After all every dark night ends and sun rises again followed by a brighter light !!

We most definitely can rediscover our happiness path . Depression is not a choice but staying stuck in it is a choice .

Although there is no one size fits all kind of formula to find your own path of healing and recovery however there are 4 predominant ways one can apply according to their respective healing journeys . A note I would like to bring forth is PLEASE DON’T NEGLECT WHAT YOUR MIND AND BODY IS TRYING TO SIGNAL YOU ,MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL IS THE POINT PERSON TO SEEK HELP FROM . A SUBSTANTIAL THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP ACTS AS AN INDISPENSABLE TOOL FOR THE WELL BEING OF A CLIENT .

KNOW-HOW OF YOUR CONDITION ~

1. First and foremost step to any concerning health issue is to be aware about your problem .Educate yourself about what’s happening to you and how you can deal with it ,take professional help understand your version in a better way . That’s the basic step to proceed on the road of rediscovering your strength and happiness.

QUALITY SELF CARE ~

1. I don’t think there is anything on this planet that could be more essential and valuable than this point . Individuals brawling their battle of depression feel almost paralyzed when it comes to quality self care and love . The focus should be upon the individual in his/her entirety.
2. You have to go gentle on yourself despite feeling harsh and beating yourself up for reasons that are beyond your understanding .
3. It’s absolutely okay to handle your self with extra care ,to be willing to be empathetic to yourself, acknowledge that you are a gift to this world and your presence matters & extremely valuable .
4. A client centred therapy is a must and effective strategy to employ especially for clients going through depression. Client and his/her problems become the world for them and this strategy if used skillfully can pull them out of their cocoon they are entrapped in .

POWER OF COMPANION CORNER ~ let’s cry together!

Having a social support is like putting a smile on your face ,now you see ,it’s that necessary and beautiful at the same time . A sound interpersonal relationship keeps you connected with your self and the world . Social isolation is your worst enemy and individuals with depression are engulfed into the web of loneliness, emptiness, shallowness .They feel as if nobody cares how they feel which isn’t the absolute truth. It’s their mind nudging them with foggy sight which is why they assume that it’s futile to talk to anyone. There have been many researches which have clearly shown that having someone to talk to and share your experiences with has a remarkably effective outcome during the treatment of depression .It is a cathartic experience for the client .That sense of feeling safe and comfortable without any apprehensions curbs the pain you are going through . Having a non – judgemental , genuine empathetic & reflective listening attitude towards the client goes a long way in recreating their happiness. Making the person feel that you are actively going to be there for them no matter what is so so so important to break through strong walls of isolation they have built around themselves.

PLACEBO EFFECT ~ SCIENCE OF INSTILLING FAITH

If a client and therapist are both firmly convinced that eating oatmeal will cure the Client’s symptoms ,it is likely that relief will be forthcoming as long as the proper rituals have been organized around the taking of the cereal ,the client maintains faith in its efficacy . If a consequence of the conviction of being helped the patient dispels the tension and anxiety sufficiently to restore oneself a sense of control , he or she will possibly return to habitual routines and sooner or later optimal level of functioning .

Instilling hope and faith that client is in safe hands and is eventually going to feel better then the mere thought of seeking help and trusting the therapist will be a relief and that would become a base for healing process because their hope belief is shattered & unfortunately the client aggravates it more by indulging into self perpetuating cycle . Placing a garden of hope that they have a choice to feel better than yesterday on repeat will give them enough push to atleast start acknowledging the fact that there is a choice and hope to make almost always . The expectation of getting treated and improving is rewarding and reinforcing in itself .

Studies have show that there is a definite correlation between conviction and cure !!.

With this I would like to conclude that if we try to follow the aforementioned key techniques to get back up , we are already half way through .

There is always enough room for happiness and improvement .

Regards @Paridhi Talwar