HOW TO GET BACK ON TRACK - WHY YOU FEEL DOWN (PART 3)

 LIFESTYLE SERIES 

 

                                            

Those days when hope feels lost, gloominess clouds the mind, and life feels too heavy to carry, it is important to understand that these are just a part of life. However, when these days continue consistently, it is time to take a deeper look at why your sadness is clinging on and how to do more than just escape the pain. Feeling down is caused by a number of factors, from chemical to situational, which affects our feelings in many ways. Everyone is different and can experience feelings of sadness in unique ways, but there are some key factors that may be causing you to feel down and the remedy to each of these root causes varies.

CLINICAL DEPRESSION

 While improving in other areas of your life, your physical health can dramatically improve even clinical depression. Some people do suffer from severe depression that may not be improved through lifestyle or health changes. If you suspect you are suffering from severe depression,it is advised that you immediately contact a health professional as soon as possible.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), a type of severe depression, characterized by; listlessness, a total loss of interest in anything previously enjoyed, feelings of worthlessness, unexplained pain, fatigue, headaches, reduced sex drive, angry outbursts, trouble thinking or concentrating and in some cases accompanied by hallucinations and delusions. Although depression may occur only once during one's life, these kind of people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day or nearly every day and they include:

• Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
• Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
  
• Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports 
• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much 
• Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
• Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
• Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

 

                                              

For many people, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why. It could be biological differences, brain chemistry, hormones or inherited traits. Some of the risk factors could be;

• Certain personality traits, such as low self-esteem and being too dependent, self-critical or pessimistic
• Traumatic or stressful events, such as physical or sexual abuse, the death or loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or financial problems
• Blood relatives with a history of depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism or suicide.
• History of other mental health disorders, such as anxiety disorder, eating disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder
• Abuse of alcohol or recreational drugs
• Serious or chronic illness, including cancer, stroke, chronic pain or heart diseases.

And thereafter, serious complications arise which will be very detrimental to your health. It could be; excess weight or obesity, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes, pain or physical illness, alcohol or drug misuse, anxiety, panic disorder or social phobia, family conflicts, relationship difficulties, and work or school problems, social isolation, suicidal feelings, suicide attempts or suicide, self-mutilation, such as cutting and premature death from medical conditions. 

WEATHER

The feeling of sadness could be swept away with a little sunshine. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can actually be improved simply by getting out into the sun. Our bodies absorb Vitamin D from the sun which has led the medical community to recommend getting a sunlight lamp, taking Vitamin D supplements, or moving to a sunnier climate as a way to treat SAD. If you have found that you feel down during the dark days of winter,you could plan a tropical vacation during the grey months of winter to help improve your mood.

             

 

STRESS

Stress can be a huge factor in your emotional well being. Recent studies have shown there are connections between psychological stressors and the development of depression. If you are feeling down due to stress or environmental factors, like your job, it may be time to consider a change. Your environment plays a huge factor in your emotional well being and is something that you likely have the ability to change. If your stress stems from relational conflict, consider seeing a counselor who specializes in relationship issues. It's amazing the assumptions we make about how our lives should look which may not actually be what is best for us.

   

 

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

When you are feeling down, negative thoughts can just begin to invade your mind from nowhere. Feelings of failure and hopelessness can cling unto you, dragging you down beneath the waves. This inner critic can make you feel like you are the bane of society and the scourge of the world. Whether these thoughts are due to a legitimate mistake you have made or are baseless and unwanted, it is these types of inner conversations that really keep us down and depressed for several days, weeks, months, and years.

                                       

Dealing with negative thoughts is complicated and can be challenging but it isn't impossible to be free of them. As you change what you believe about yourself and the lies of the inner critic inside you, you will find that they begin to lose their power over you. Always choose to speak kindly to yourself and only say things that you would want others to say of you.

 

HEALTH                 

The easiest place to start when diving into what might be causing you to feel down is to take a hard look at your health – what you eat (and when), how often you exercise, how much sleep you are getting, and whether you are battling any health conditions or taking medication that may affect your mood. Many therapists usually encourage their patients to work on improving their physical health through diet, exercise and a full night’s sleep; while simultaneously diving into deeper emotional struggles in counseling. Many times, these holistic changes can remedy the feelings of sadness and depression. In fact, depression may result entirely from an undiagnosed food allergy in some cases. 

Other sole reasons for feeling down are; loneliness, grief and trauma, lack of meaning and purpose, etc.

                                                  

Feelings of sadness, while normal, can come from a variety of situations and experiences – all different and unique. It is easy to want to avoid feeling down but it isn’t always beneficial. There are times when sadness wells up and instead of running from it and trying other ways you probably looked up on the internet, you need to face it head-on and really experience the discomfort of it.

Emotionally resilient people are not the people who feel good all the time but are the people who can walk through life’s pain and challenges, and even their own grief and sadness, instead of running away and trying to escape it. Escaping your pain can lead to the greatest harm you can experience in life, like an addiction that can suck a person under. The problem isn’t that addicts love drugs, sex, alcohol, or any other addiction too much to give up; the problem is that people become addicts to escape their pain. Then, giving up their addiction is too difficult because it means they have to face the reality of their own pain, grief, sadness, loss, and loneliness.

Whether you are simply feeling down or struggling to bear the boulder of grief and depression, the choice to walk through that fire without numbing or retreating may be what actually brings you to the other side. Sometimes you have to feel your pain and sadness in order to move forward with our life. You should never let feeling down consume you and drag you under, but face it and choose to walk with it until you’ve walked past it; a great way to get back on track.

Thanks for being a part of this series. Drop your questions and lifestyle-topic suggestions in the comment section, let's make this a safe place for everyone as we stay tuned for Part Four...

Check out PART ONE and PART TWO of this series.

 

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