Depression

It's normal to have some days when you feel down. But if you feel down for days at a time and you can't get motivated to do activities you normally enjoy, you may need help from a mental health professional. This is especially important if your sleep patterns and appetite have changed, you turn to alcohol or drugs (even prescribed) for comfort or relaxation, or you feel hopeless or think about suicide.

This page has basic information on:

Signs and Symptoms of Depression
When its time to seek more help
Where to find help
Practical things you can do on your own when dealing with mild depressive symptoms

Signs and Symptoms of Depression

Behavioral

Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters.
Easily emotional including tearful for reasons you don't know.
Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities that you used to enjoy.
Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much.
Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort.
Men might tend to react outwardly in anger, and women might tend to withdraw and retreat internally.

Emotional

Sad
Tearful
Empty
Hopeless
False guilt
Worthless
Angry
Lonely (Even when around community)

Cognitive

Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things (unrelated to other medical conditions).
Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide.
Thoughts of inadequacy.
Convinced you'll never feel "normal" again

When to Get help

When the symptoms do not get better after a short time.
When the symptoms continue to get worse.
When it seems like no one or nothing will help.

Check the table below--if you or your friend is in the yellow zone, reach out to someone who cares (friend, staff care facilitator, supervisor, etc). If in the orange or red zone, please contact a mental health professional.

depressive symptoms .docx

Where to Get Help

Visit the Seeking Help Page for who to get in touch with if you need more help.

Ways to Help Yourself

Connectivity

Connectivity: One of the most powerful tools to combat depression is authentic human relationships. Oh wait, everyone is in isolation and quarantined. So what to do?

Virtual connection to the rescue! It seems there has never been more ways to connect virtually than right now (Zoom, Skype, Facetime, WhatsApp, Facebook and more).
Let someone who cares about you know you need them (to initiate or just to spend time together).
It may be helpful to schedule that interaction every week.

Connecting can boost your brain’s ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters and give you an opportunity to care for someone else while they also care for you. Gal 6:2.

Healthy Habits.

There is so much written about this right now-- because it is that important. Choosing to care for your physical self will pay dividends on your mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. It also will boost your immune system so your body is prepared for anything.

1. Eating and Drinking: The most readily available sustenance might not be the healthiest. Try to eat as balanced a diet as you can and at regular times. Remember to drink lots of water and to limit other substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.
2. Exercise: Do anything to move your body and get your blood flowing. One of the challenges with depression is having low energy. Having your activity restricted means you're more likely to not be active. Start small. Choose an activity , even something simple like stretching for a few minutes, and set a goal that is easily achievable. Invite someone to exercise with you in person or virtually. Expending even a little energy in exercise will boost your overall energy.
3. Sleep: You need enough of it (adults need 6-10 hours). Sleeping too little or too much can be a warning signal. Set a schedule, keep good boundaries on work and try to stop looking at screens at least one hour before bedtime.

Thought Power

There is a connection between depression and our thought life. You can imagine how consuming heavy and sad news, focusing on the deprivations of this time, or dwelling on thoughts of getting sick, will affect your mood. Feeling sad, overwhelmed, lonely, apathetic, anxious and/or fearful may be related to unhealthy thoughts.

We may be able to challenge some of our negative thinking patterns by taking them captive (2 Cor 10:5, Phil 4:8) and replacing them with truthful and healthy thoughts.

Distractions, like reading a book, watching TV, or talking to friends may disrupt low places. But a better and more lasting solution is to be able to recognize an unhelpful thought pattern, activity or emotion and change it. This takes practice, energy and sometimes help from a friend or a counselor.

Soul Care

You are not alone. Knowing this and believing it are different things. Depression often involves adopting beliefs about ourselves that are not true and leave us in shame. Shame tells us we're not worthy of love and connection and keeps us from believing others (including our Heavenly Father) care for us.

Meditating on Scripture , like Romans 8, Psalms 40, or Isaiah 41:10. can help correct our thinking. David was able to lament and express sorrow and grief while also affirming his trust in God. Writing a lament like Psalms 13 (Instructions here) and practicing other Spiritual Disciplines can bring our heart belief more in line with what we believe with our minds.

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