.avif)
“I was sinking, tired and feeling low.
It was a whirlpool that was pulling me into the deep dark ocean of my empty mind.
I didn’t feel like eating nor did I want to talk to anyone around me.
I didn’t feel like doing anything.
Just wanted to lie down in the bed, staring at the emptiness that had seeped inside me.
It was dark and I was weak, I was losing control of myself.
I was wondering if I could ever come out of this?
I cried till my tears dried.
I couldn’t hear anything except the inner hollowness that echoed in my mind.
Then I heard someone call out my name, get up, this is not you he said.
It was my other self who didn’t want me to drown in the whirlpool.
I found help, someone professional to talk about it.
I survived and I am glad I did, or else how would I have found the new meaning to life.”
— Dr Athar Qureshi
Yes, what you have read above is depression. The American Psychological Association (APA) explains depression as “extreme sadness or despair that lasts more than days. It interferes with the activities of daily life and can cause physical symptoms such as pain, weight loss or gain, sleeping pattern disruptions, or lack of energy.” Depression is a common medical illness and according to the World Health Organization an estimated 3.8% of the population experience it. Let’s understand the symptoms and patterns in more detail. These could include feeling sad, low mood, loss of interest (mostly in the activities which gave pleasure and joy in the past), change in appetite (eating too less or too much), sleeping trouble (sleeping too much or too less), loss of energy, feeling worthless or helpless, difficulty in concentrating and making decisions. In extreme cases of depression there are thought of death or suicide.
Depression can become a serious medical illness impacting negatively on how one feels and how one thinks and acts. But the good news is that depression can be treated and managed. The mantras to come out of depression or the tips are very simple.
It's okay to try different ways to feel better when you're dealing with depression. Sometimes, you might not be able to follow all the advice, and that's fine. Just remember that it's normal to face challenges along the way. The important thing is to keep going and not give up. While managing some of it, the most important tip is to seek professional help. Talk to a counsellor or a therapist. This helps us to better understand the space which we are into. A therapist can assist in understanding the degree of your malady and if needed refer you to a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist. Not everyone might go to that state, but yes for those who need it the combination of therapy and medicine has show excellent results for people to regain normalcy. For those who just need therapy, it works wonders. You can develop your own plan to cope up with depression.
Remember, nothing comes at the cost of your mental health! Self-Love, Self-Care, Self-Compliment and Self-Value are four corner stones of healthy mental wellbeing.
