Have you ever had those days where it has been hard to get out of bed? Hard to get yourself motivated to move? Question the point of life, or just not have the will to live? Sometimes, these kind of feelings wash over me. The monster comes to haunt me.
The monster is depression.
A lot of people don’t really understand depression—honestly I don’t think anyone truly understands it. It just creeps up and takes over.
“You’re just in a slump, you need to get over it.”
“Everyone has those moments, just get up and do something.”
“Stop acting like this, you just want attention.”
I’ve heard all of these things, but I don’t think most people realize that depression is an illness. It is just as bad as breaking a bone—it can be crippling.
This week was really hard for me. Things haven’t been going great in my life—but this isn’t a rant about things that are going wrong. This is a talk about how real depression is.
What is Depression?
Depression is a common mental disorder that causes people to experience depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. These aren’t feelings of unhappiness—these are caused by an imbalance of hormones in the brain.
The causes of depression are not fully understood, but most scientists think that an imbalance in the brain’s signaling chemicals is what causes depression. Also, a variety of distressing life situations are also associated, including early childhood trauma, a job loss, the death of a loved one, financial troubles, or a divorce.
The National Institute of Mental Health say that depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.
Things to do to Help with Your Depression
There are a lot of things you can do to help yourself work towards getting out of your depression. This website offers ideas that can help you with daily things that can help you deal with your depression.
One of the things I catch myself doing is saying “sorry” instead of “thank you.” Saying sorry shows that you are pitying yourself and that makes you feel even worse than you already do. So, here is a little comic that I have on my wall to remind myself to say “thank you” instead of “sorry.”
Conclusion.
I know I’ve said a lot of things that have been said before, but sometimes it needs to be said more than once.
I hope everyone takes the time to realize the depression is a real sickness, and if you know anyone with depression just let them know that you are there for them. It helps a lot when you know you have people supporting you.
If you want to read more about depression, there is a lot of resources online. Here are a few to get you started:
National Institute of Mental Health
If you think you may have depression, start by making an appointment to see your doctor or health care provider.
This was a short article this week, but it was something I needed to say and get off of my chest. Thanks for reading.
[Editor’s Note – If you or someone you know is in need of urgent help please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 24 hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. There are people who care about you. There are people who want to help you and understand what you’re going through. You’re not alone. If you are not in North America please check here for international suicide hotlines.]
Lexie Mettler is a Level 2 judge from Fort Wayne, Indiana. By day she is a student, by night she streams MTGO and practices for tournaments all over the Midwest.