7 Signs You Are Depressed Without Knowing

Hey Optimist Minds!

Have you recently started feeling sad, irritated, or helpless frequently? Or, perhaps you’ve noticed an increase in negative thoughts in your mind?

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. This mental disorder is characterised by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.

At times, the onset of depression can be insidious so you might not realise when you’ve got it. This can be harmful as late detection might complicate treatment. 

This video will describe seven signs you are depressed without knowing. By recognising the signs, you can reach out for professional help sooner rather than later.

A quick disclaimer: this information is only meant for educational purposes. Do not use it to diagnose yourself or someone else as only a licensed therapist is qualified to do so.

Now, let’s begin.

One

You have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning.

Do you spend much time lying in bed even if you have woken up? Do you wake up feeling tired and demotivated to get on with your day?

When you’re depressed, you tend to feel like there’s no point in daily activities that need to get done. Moreover, you get overwhelmed by negative thoughts about yourself, others, and the world. Consequently, it takes a lot to get started at doing things, including getting up.

Two

Your daily routine has lost structure.

People who are depressed, generally lack a purpose in life. Even if they have a life goal, they feel disillusioned by it, as if it is a pointless ambition to have. This may lead to a drop in productivity.

On top of that, depression impairs your functioning. As a result, it takes longer to do daily tasks and you might even skip some activities. This can manifest in a lack of consistency in your routine.

Three

You don’t feel like meeting anyone.

Social withdrawal is a typical symptom of depression and can be one of the first warning signs. You start feeling like you don’t have the energy or the headspace to hang out with your friends and family.

Depression might also distort your thinking, making you believe negative things about yourself. The decreased self-esteem causes you to feel uncomfortable in the company of others.

Four

You get frequent negative thoughts about your appearance.

Based on the degree of depression, you feel differently about your looks. A milder condition may cause some worry about your attractiveness. 

With further deterioration, you might start thinking there are permanent changes to your body that make you look bad. In severe depression, you end up feeling ugly. 

Five

You have sleep issues.

Common sleep issues associated with depression include excessive sleeping during the day, trouble falling asleep, disturbed sleep, and early awakening. In the case of the latter, you wake up much earlier than you’re supposed to and then can’t go back to sleep. You might also start having strange or scary dreams with themes related to your triggers.

Six

You crave substances.

Studies show that there is an association between depressive disorders and substance abuse. Sometimes, smoking, drinking, or doing drugs acts as a coping mechanism for depressed individuals. 

It feels like an escape or a way to numb the intense negative feelings. If you have a history of addiction, the onset of depression might bring about a relapse.

Seven

You’re discouraged about the future.

Have you lost faith in your dreams for your future? Does it feel like nothing good is going to happen as time passes?

Since depression brings negative thoughts about almost everything, it can lead to a feeling of hopelessness. You start living in a state of despair and don’t look forward to life. At this point, it’s not uncommon to start thinking about suicide or self-harm. 

Were you able to resonate with any of the signs we described? Do you suspect that you might be suffering from depression? If so, then it’s a good idea to speak to a professional about it.

Let us know in the comments if you found this video helpful. A link for further reading and the studies & references used in the making of this video are mentioned in the description below.

Thanks for visiting optimist minds, take care. Until next time.

References

• https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1990-07523-001
• https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2618635
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pr0.1978.42.3.745
• https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rstb.2004.1512
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1097-4679(198601)42:1%3C5::AID-JCLP2270420102%3E3.0.CO;2-9