9 Signs You’re Depressed, Not Lazy
By
OptimistMinds
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
Hey Optimist Minds!
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. And yet, there still needs to be a lot of work done on spreading awareness about it.
Over the years, people have become familiar with the term as it is being popularly used. However, there is still some stigma and resistance in society to accept depression as a legitimate cause of dysfunction.
Even today, many people equate this serious mental disorder with intentional laziness. Sadly, individuals who have lost their ability to feel joy are judged as complacent for not making progress in their lives.
Nevertheless, there are stark differences between laziness and the inaction brought by depression. Learning them can help you be a better judge of behaviour. This video will talk about nine signs that you’re depressed and not just lazy.
Please note that this is merely a self-assessment and in no way replaces a qualified therapist’s diagnosis. Only use this information for educational purposes.
Having said that, let’s begin.
One
You find it pointless to get out of bed.
A lazy person would spend hours in bed because of the comfort involved. But a depressed person wouldn’t be comfortable at all lying in bed. You tend to feel trapped because you see no point in getting up and proceeding with the day. Any comfort the softness of the bed brings will be accompanied by racing thoughts that upset you.
Two
You’re neglecting self-care.
Sometimes, you might skip brushing your teeth at night or taking a shower because it’s too much work. Depression too makes it feel like too much work but with a dark twist. It causes you to think that you don’t deserve the effort involved and that it would be a waste to look after you.
Three
You have sleep issues.
Naps are common when you’re feeling lazy but depression takes napping to a whole new level. You might excessively sleep in the day, making your daily average exceed eight hours. Or, your night sleep might convert into an irregular series of naps with possible nightmares.
Four
Your appetite has changed drastically.
It’s very rare to hear someone say that they’re too lazy to eat. Even if they’re saying it, they probably mean that they’re too lazy to cook. If there was delicious hot food in front of them, they’d still want to eat.
On the other hand, when you’re depressed, you could be looking at your favourite food and not want to eat it. In some cases, depression makes you overeat. The difference then is that laziness is only about the pleasure of eating, but in depression, you use that pleasure as an escape from your misery.
Five
You have constant negative thoughts.
Someone with a laziness problem may or may not have negative self-talk. But someone with depression will definitely have very low self-esteem, leading to an excess of negative thoughts that they can’t seem to control.
Six
You get thoughts of self-harm.
One of the biggest differences between the two is the occurrence of self-harming or suicidal thoughts. Laziness implies an unwillingness to use energy. In contrast, it’s not uncommon for depression to elicit an urge to release energy through self-harm.
Seven
You have frequent mood swings.
If you’re lazy, you’ll be content in your dormancy. But depression comes with many emotional reactions and outbursts. You could be angry in one situation, only to be crying your eyes out a few minutes later. Irritability and indecisiveness are also common moods for someone with depression.
Eight
You feel alienated from your loved ones.
Laziness doesn’t really impact your experience of socialising much. You’re either satisfied with minimal interaction or you snap out of it when you feel lonely.
Conversely, with depression, you might feel like no one cares that much about you or that you’re a burden on others. These thoughts and feelings will interfere with your ability to reach out, thus perpetuating the perception of isolation.
Nine
You have difficulty making decisions.
As mentioned a bit earlier, being indecisive is a typical symptom of depression. Someone lazy will put off decisions because they don’t want to make the effort of weighing pros and cons. In depression, however, you’ll spend a lot of time thinking about all the options and still find no clear conclusion.
Now that you’ve heard about these differences, do you think that you’re lazy? Or could it be possible that you’re going through depression? 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
Overcome Depression and Find Joy in Life Again with BetterHelp
