Understanding Depression

How depression affects you and how your body behaves is a different experience of each of us. A good way to help you feel more in control of your depression is to learn how to recognise and acknowledge how it impacts you, your life and relationships.

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We all have good days and bad days, so its important to remember that people experiencing depression suffer day after day after day. Its an ongoing feeling of sadness and hopelessness that doesn’t shift easily.

When you are living with depression, the numbness descends like misty rain. It surrounds you, seeping and soaking into your body and mind. You feel dark, heavy, lost as the loneliness of keeping your emotions locked away suffocates you, quashing your positive emotions only leaving room for negativity. You feel at times like your moving through sinking sand, every movement brings the darkness closer and tighter.
The hopelessness takes hold and any thoughts turn to your 'uselessness' making you believe you have no power, you are incapable of changing this hell you live in. You resign yourself to acceptance after multiple failed efforts to help yourself or worse still rejection from someone you reached out to. A doctors brush off, the look of disbelief on your friends face, the accusation of 'putting it on' and the infamous 'get a grip'. You know this all too well, you tell yourself often enough. You make friends with depression and an enemy of yourself, you throw self blame and self punishment around your head believing the lies to be true.
It doesn't have to be like this.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION INCLUDE:

Feeling numb
Lack of motivation, Avoidance
Exhaustion
Feeling overwhelmed, Feeling like there is no way out
Feeling helpless, powerless and worthless
Self punishment
Feeling out of control
A black or dark cloud around you

Being able to laugh, joke and smile but no emotion behind it
Little or no interest in life
Over eating, under eating or controlling eating
Finding ways to feel something e.g. gambling, substance misuse, alcohol
Physical or emotional self harm
Over-investment in hobbies, sport, or other people’s lives

No passion, excitement or fun
Negative, berating thoughts
Feeling like you want to pause life
Working on automatic pilot
Mindless living
Sleeping too much or not enough
Suicidal thoughts

It is no exaggeration to say that not one adult in my life realised or knew I was struggling with depression. The reality is neither did I, I denied it myself. What people saw on the outside was the smiles, kindness, laughing, joking, motivation and helping others, but it certainly did not reflect what was going on inside.

What was actually going on was a combination of overwhelming emotions and numbness; feeling powerless, self punishment, self judgment, self blame, feeling weak and a failure. With millions of thoughts racing through my mind, my head felt like it was spinning just trying to cope with daily every day expectations. My poor children had to watch the inconsistent mood swings as the guilt, frustration and anger took control exacerbating the self punishment and feeling of failing.

Guilt was a huge driver of my depression. Although it was situational, I was fighting against it for about five years prior to falling into my deepest depression. I felt judged - even though no one knew what I was going through, the only person judging was me. I was confused by my ‘weakness’, not being able to help myself, feeling like there was no way out of the dark thoughts. I looked for a pause button - a great big pause button that would stop my responsibilities - to stop everything going on inside so I could breathe and think for myself and about myself. I stayed away from friends, I avoided going out and if I did go out it was huge exhausting effort that no one knew about.

I pretended I was fine on the outside. Yet on the inside, I felt like I was dying and I didn’t want anyone to see what was going on. All these visible things made me self conscious and I hated being with other people. I just wanted to be invisible and not responsible for anything in my life, not even myself.

You can feel yourself losing control to depression, so it becomes harder to cover it up. So you stop talking, you withdraw from social situations, you make excuses not to go out or see people.

Happiness seems like an impossible dream when you are experiencing anxiety or depression. With the right help and support, its achievable. Its not just a dream, its possible.

I can identify a similar situation to my own in others now. I can often spot the concealed thoughts and actions of someone struggling on the inside, but sometimes I don't.

Everyone's experience is different, personal to their journey. Others have told a similar story of their experience, and others had different things going on that they had to work through. For all the differences, there is one thing in common.

Stigma.

Its not only fear of acceptance, or pity from those around you. Its not just fear of rejection from those close to you, on the outskirts of your circles of friends and acquaintances. The biggest stigma surrounds how you view the struggle yourself. We are our own harshest critics on times, more so when we aren't feeling on top of our game. Asking for help doesn't seem like the right thing to do, especially if we are independent, or successful in areas of our lives, or looked up to in some way. Its a big step to admitting it, accepting it and wanting to take action. We are only human - we will make mistakes, we will get it wrong, we will need help, each and every one of us.

I had support to take that step. Without continuing the fight, keeping on trying to find the right answer, a way out, I'm certain I would have ended up much worse, a deeper darker place.

I had to make changes, ones I didn't welcome initially. But does anyone like change, the unfamiliar? We tend to cling to our comfort zone, our safe haven, even if that familiarity isn't helping our situation. Changes meant new habits, new exercises, new ideas and new responses. Changes have been made on every level - Negativity replaced with positivity, feeling strong instead of weak. The changes meant I could let in the happiness, and let go of the depression.

This is what my depression looked like. I drew this when I realised that I had been through it and was out the other side.

Changes meant new habits, new exercises, new ideas and new responses.

Changes have been made on every level - Negativity replaced with positivity, feeling strong instead of weak. I'm investing my time and energy into supportive relationships instead of avoiding company. I'm looking for ways to slow down instead of keeping busy. I'm proud of who I am, not guilty for what I am not.

The changes meant I could let in the happiness, and let go of the depression.

All those times I shielded my mental health from others are now being outweighed by me talking about mental health. I share my story with others in the hope that it resonates with them. I want them to know they are braver than they feel, realise they are strong enough to take action and can feel supported. I'm working with others to guide them into realising where they hold onto comfortable but negative patterns, filling a space in their life that positivity can could push out.

We all need to make ourselves more aware about mental health issues - I never once considered that mental health would be something I would struggle with, I have been blessed with good fortunes and happy times for most of my life. It was alien to me - and it is to others too. Support I once had to get better means I can help others, they can win their fight and help others too - it pays forward again and again. Find out more so you can help yourself find the right support in and when you need it. Learn about it so you can help others too.

Its how we make changes - for good.

How does depression show up in children

Children’s depression can show up a little differently in children than adults. Depression and anxiety can show up together

Depression in Children

There have been suggestions that children with depression act a certain way. If there is a change in their behaviour, it could be down to depression. Even if they were confident previously, they may become withdrawn and more nervous in some situations. Or the opposite can happen – a more outspoken, angry child who now gets into trouble when they used to be quieter and more aware of their surroundings.

There are physical symptoms too – they may be struggling to concentrate or focus on the things they used to, or sleeping eratically – too much or too little. But sometimes there isn’t a change of behaviour – if its been lived with for so long, depressed behaviour becomes the norm.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN INCLUDE:

Long lasting low mood and sadness
Being irritable, grumpy constantly
Loss of interest in life, hobbies, friends, family activities
Feeling exhausted or tired constantly
Sleeping too much or not enough

Loss of concentration
Lack motivation
Withdrawing from family and friends
Struggle with indecision
Lack of confidence
Disrupted eating patterns
Weight loss or gain

Unable to relax, lack energy, be lethargic
Suicidal thoughts
Self harm thoughts or doing
Feel empty or numb
Feel worthless, hopeless

Beating Depression with coaching

I am passionate about the impact coaching can have. I believe it can not only help manage mental health, but conquer the problem. Being able to conquer it, you can understand where its come from and be able to get rid of it.

Anxiety is really complex, and it feel impossible to change or challenge it.

Lots of people come to accept that anxiety is part of their everyday life, and they have to learn to live with it. But it doesn't have to be like that, you have a choice. You can take action to change and even conquer your anxiety and depression. By saying yes to coaching, you can make the impossible possible. Through using my coaching model, and completing my coaching programme I want to give parents, children and adults the power to conquer their mental health.

You really do not have to live in a constant state to fear.