8 Signs That You May Be Experiencing Depression
The painful irony of depression is that it can often make you feel as though you’re all alone in your suffering, when in fact the reality is that an estimated 350 million people worldwide know just how you feel and can share in your pain.
It is never easy to admit to ourselves that we’re struggling, or perhaps that we might even need to seek some help in order to get back on our feet, and the stigma surrounding many mental illnesses is still pervasive in some areas, a foolish and ignorant idea that it is somehow insignificant or imagined.
This stigma is purely perpetuated by people who lack education or experience in the matter, and should absolutely be ignored. Depression is a very real and seriously difficult issue.
Many of those who suffer from it end up trying to tough it out, which may work occasionally, but what is important to know if you feel like you’re dealing with depression is that you have many effective options for treatment and relief.
You should never be afraid to seek them out. If you aren’t sure that what you’re feeling is depression, listed below are 8 signs that may help you decipher exactly that.
If you can relate to some or all of these signs, you might very well be experiencing depression and should reach out for help.
1. Inconsistent appetite and irregular weight gain/loss
Half of the time you can’t summon the energy it takes to put together a bowl of cereal or chew a hot pocket, the rest of the time you find yourself gorging on high fat, high sugar junk foods in the middle of the night and maybe even eating extra servings regardless of feeling stuffed full.
This is often a subconscious attempt at triggering the reward center in the brain to get those happiness chemicals going, but unfortunately it’s only a quick band aid and won’t actually help in the longterm. Not to mention it’s not good for your digestion.
