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Depression

What is depression?

Depression is a mood disorder that can be accompanied by a wide range of feelings and symptoms, but the main ones are a decreased mood, loss of interest and joy, and tiredness, and low energy. From time to time, everyone will experience some sadness, apathy, or other negative feelings. These are all normal reactions to setbacks that occur in life, but depression is not just a bad mood or a temporary negative feeling. Depression is a serious disease in which a person is not able to come out of such a negative state of mind and it can start affecting his day-to-day activities and coping capacity. Depression also changes the chemical balance in the brain and the way the brain works.

Depression may not be just sadness. Additional symptoms such as feelings of emptiness, emotional numbness, problems with concentration and memory, sleep disturbances, low self-esteem, hopelessness, guilt, relationship problems, and irritability may also occur. Depression is a multifaceted disease and different people can experience a wide variety of negative symptoms. If some negative feeling or state of mind persists and begins to disturb your life, it is worth talking to someone and seeking help.

Not all of the symptoms previously mentioned need to be present in depression. If a negative feeling lasts for more than two weeks and starts bothering you, it is important to pay attention. The sooner depression is discovered, the better.

What causes depression?

Various factors play a role in depression, and in most cases, there is not just one specific cause. Factors contributing to depression may include negative life events, past traumatic events, low self-esteem, heredity and genes, long-term stress, hormonal changes, side effects of some medications, decreased daylight, addictive disorders.

How to cope with depression?

Depression is a serious disease and may not go away on its own. It is important to notice it and seek help early.

However, there are things you can do for yourself. The important thing is not to struggle alone. Talk to someone you can trust about your feelings and concerns. It can be helpful to keep yourself active: go for a walk or a run, find a hobby, do your chores, etc. Plan at least one activity a day that you enjoy doing. Various relaxation and breathing exercises can also help. It is important to pay attention to your basic needs: healthy and regular eating, enough rest, and sleep. Give up alcohol and drugs, using them will only make depression worse in the long run.

Reading educational literature about depression can also be helpful. However, it is important to remember that depression can be tough to fight alone, if your problems persist, turn to professionals. The first contact may also be your family doctor.

You can find different relaxation techniques here: https://peaasi.ee/en/lodvestusharjutused/

You can also find different techniques on Youtube. Try to use the ones that help you the most.

Here are some examples in English:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoQVgJx_QN4&t=114s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23K_lFus09w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQHQ7nKUUpc&t=12s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihO02wUzgkc&t=37s