10 Depression Symptoms: Warning Signs to Look Out For
Depression symptoms are more intense than just fleeting moments of sadness. It is human to feel blue every now and then but when it comes to depression, you are in a vibrationally low state of being for an extended period. Over time, you could identify yourself with your depression symptoms so much that living with them feels normal.
Being depressed creates energy leakage. When severe, you can possibly lose the ability to function and to perform the most routine of tasks. You would rather confine yourself in your cave.
When sinking into despair becomes severe, it can turn into clinical depression. In extreme cases, depression can drive a person to suicide. This was what happened to my friend, Arch.
“Depression is the inability to construct a future.” – Rollo May
There are some things that can be done to prevent depression symptoms or a state of misery from escalating. I say this, upon reflection from my own experiences and events leading to Arch’s death. For a start, it helps is to gain self-awareness about the warning signs of depression.
There had been periods in my life when I felt as if I was in darkness. I could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately, I had enough awareness that I needed help. I was also lucky to be surrounded by loved ones. Eventually, I experienced a turnaround and it was what led me on my path of healing.
Symptoms of Depression
The symptoms of depression can be many and include the following:
1. Sense of hopelessness. You are not able to imagine or find a way out of your problems. You perceive a bleak future.
2. Feeling victimized. Feeling victimized, you go “why me” over and over again in your head. You feel powerless about changing your situation.
3. Intense self-loathing. You direct intense anger inwards. You are in complete rejection of yourself. You feel unloved and unlovable.
4. Feeling of emptiness. You cannot figure out what the purpose of your life is. You experience a loss of meaning in life.
5. Negative perception. You perceive life bleakly. Unable to see the rainbows, you view life as primarily one of intense suffering.
6. Loss of energy. Leaking energy, you are running on an empty tank. The sense of lethargy is overwhelming.
7. Inability to concentrate. You are not interested in anything or everything. You are not able to focus on what is important, such as getting your work done.
8. Reckless behavior. You have got ill regard for your well-being when you turn to drugs or driving recklessly.
9. Emotional struggle. Your ego is in a state of struggle. You find it hard to accept your situation as it is. You feel stuck. Every little trigger sets you off. You are highly sensitive to what you perceive others say about you. You are vibrating shame, anger and resentment.
10. Social withdrawal. You decline invitations to social outings. You have got plenty of reasons and excuses why you should not go out. And so you choose to live like a recluse. While in your cave, you are engaged in debilitating and negative self-talk.
Get Support From All Areas
What is to know is there is no shame to finding help. Learn to set aside feelings of embarrassment. It is better to get assistance early before things get out-of-hand. There is no need to prolong suffering for an extended period of time.
If you find yourself or anyone whom you know as having depression symptoms, don’t wait to take action. Use a combination of ways for getting support such as:
Physical Help. Avoid bottling your anger. Silence is not golden when you are waging an internal war with your emotions. Use talk therapy. Talk your issues out with a family member or loved one.
Mental Help. Most people experience just a single depressive period or two in their lifetime. However, in cases that are major, depression can be a disorder that is recurring and debilitating. It may also warrant medical treatment. It is, therefore, very important to seek appropriate professional help. Ask your doctor for advice or obtain a referral to a specialist.
Emotional Help. You can nip depression in its bud by gaining emotional mastery. Gaining emotional mastery enables you to cope with stress and to bounce back much faster whenever you are feeling blue. For a safe way to release your anger, frustration and sense of hopelessness, apply emotional healing via EFT. For emotional issues that you have difficulties dealing with, you can also consider engaging the services of a life coach or an energy therapist to help facilitate your healing sessions.
Spiritual Help. Lastly, not just asking for support from loved ones, ask for assistance from God or from your spiritual team. Where the situation looks bleak and you have no idea how to solve your problems, consider surrendering them to a higher power. Who knows? You may be pleasantly surprised. Miracles have happened to me, for the record!
Love Yourself Unconditionally
I wrote Self-Love Secrets because I realized that many people do not know how to love themselves. It was written after I received more than 1,000 emails from people around the world. From these emails, I gathered that many suffered from depression and intense self-loathing.
Most certainly, I believe that if we can just learn to love ourselves, we can lead much happier and fulfilled lives. We have dreams of being rich, but the path to true abundance is not just from making money. In fact, the path starts with self-love.
All the more, if you suffer from depression symptoms, self-love is something you absolutely need to look into. Hence, get assistance right away!
Your Assistance with Sharing This Post Please
Lastly, I ask for your assistance to “like” and “share” this article on Facebook and twitter, so that more people can learn to recognise the warning signs and symptoms of depression. Thank you!
Love and blessings always,
Evelyn Lim
Abundance Alchemy Coach
Need Help with Emotional Healing? I offer therapy and healing sessions. Contact me here.
Share Your Experiences
Have you ever had depression or depressive symptoms? Please share how you overcame them in the comments below.
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Evelyn Reply:
November 20th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Hello Galen,
Thank you for sharing your story.
I am wondering if you previously saw depression as a major mental health disorder and that warrants medical attention. I realize that depression can mean different things to different people. Whatever it is, definitions aside, I believe that it is important to seek appropriate help should we feel unwell.
Very often, we also do not realize how much help we need as a result of having little conscious awareness of how severely miserable we feel. The natural tendency is to suppress these emotions. We are in danger of feeling overwhelmed if we leave them unaddressed.
It is great to know that you have managed to heal yourself. Yes, there are many resources out there. It is possible to shift into a more positive state of being, something that both of us have clearly experienced in our lives. More of us can do with increased awareness on the possibility of overcoming our issues.
With love,
Evelyn
[Reply]
Galen Pearl Reply:
November 21st, 2012 at 8:56 am
I don’t think I saw it so much as a mental health disorder as much as I did not understand how it manifested through various symptoms. I thought it was just feeling very sad all the time, which is not how I would have described myself at that time.
[Reply]
Evelyn Reply:
November 22nd, 2012 at 9:05 am
Hello Galen,
I believe I know what you mean. For the most part, there could be that pervasive sense of melancholy. At the same time, we are not fully aware about the extent of our misery. If someone were to point out the symptoms to us, we would perhaps realize that we have been living in a “depressive” state (which is not necessarily a mental health disorder).
Most certainly, greater awareness on this helps for there is the chance of feeling overwhelmed and sinking into deep states of despair if the emotions are left unchecked.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Galen. I have found your comments helpful in processing my own thoughts on this subject.
With love,
Evelyn