4 Ways People with Depression Worsen their Condition

Amy Taylor June 13, 2014

Depression is a difficult illness to manage. It interferes with your feelings and thought patterns and affects almost every aspect of your life. But there are things people with depression do that don’t help them deal with their condition at all. Here are some of them:

Not revealing what is going on.

When you have depression, it is common to feel embarrassed or ashamed. As much as possible, you don’t want other people to see it or know about it. You may be tempted to deal with it on your own and self-medicate. You may cover up your true feelings, pretend that you are okay, but at the end of the day, you will realise that the burden you’re carrying just gets heavier.

Telling your friends and family about your depression is important. These people can give you the right help and support you need for your recovery. If you can’t have someone to talk to about it, you can always confide with a professional therapist. Not only will this person listen, he or she will also guide you all the way through until you recover.

Underestimating depression

You may think that feeling sad is normal. But if the sadness you feel is going on for more than two weeks now, and you experience other symptoms that affect your daily life, consider seeking help the soonest. You may have troubles concentrating and interacting with others, whilst experiencing fatigue, sleeping problems, feelings of self-doubt and hopelessness, and so on. A lot of people tend to underestimate how depression impacts their life.

Instead of ignoring depression, find the courage to face it and overcome it. Don’t wait for your symptoms to get worse before you do something about it. When you understand your depression and how it affects your entire life, you will be able to effectively manage your symptoms.

Not taking treatments seriously

It is important to religiously observe therapy sessions to ensure successful recovery. Depression is a serious mental illness. It can get as serious as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. And if you have cancer, will you skip a major procedure? If you have heart problems, will you quit medications and stop seeing your doctor? When people with depression start to feel better, they may consider skipping therapy sessions. However, depression can backfire and you may once again experience the symptoms.

Not practising self-compassion

Self-compassion is essential to your treatment success. Being self-compassionate is important to your everyday life, what’s more if you have depression. Genuine self-compassion involves being honest with yourself and responding to your needs, acknowledging that you’re currently struggling, and accepting that you’ll need time to feel like yourself.

If you find it hard to be self-compassionate, think of what you’d say and how you will deal with a loved one who was feeling the same way.

Again, depression is a serious mental health illness. It often leaves a person feeling hopeless and isolated. And we are only making things harder to bear if we keep repeating these same mistakes over again. Don’t worry if you are having the same mistakes over again. After all, making mistakes is how you learn, grow and get better.