Look Out for These Signs: Depression Creeping
Mental health is one of the things that people neglect and somewhat avoid. In most cases, we fail to identify that depression is already creeping in one’s mind until it is a full-blown condition.
Although there are a lot of advocacies and campaigns to inform the public that mental sickness can affect a normal and well person, the stigma of mental health and wellness are left on the sidelines and are not on top of the priorities a person has to deal with on a daily basis.
Pressure is common in every workplace and it’s almost impossible to avoid. Whenever an employee receives his or her workload and it is beyond his or her capacity to handle, the ability to cope up with the pressure will determine if it will lead to changes in values, character or can even lead to depression and anxiety.
So, it’s important to identify one’s awareness if depression is creeping in. Let me share with you some examples to identify if it’s starting to show signs.
Lack of Sleep
Have you been taking your work with you even up to your bedtime? This means that the stress level you are dealing with can already be escalating to an uncontrollable level if you can’t leave your task in the office and you start bringing it home.
It is normal for us to think of things that are important before we sleep. However, if you have trouble getting sleep, it can lead to you to being depressed.
WebMD clarifies the correlation of lack of sleep and depression. In one of their articles, it stated that “Having a sleep disorder does not in itself cause depression, but lack of sleep does play a role. Lack of sleep caused by another medical illness or by personal problems can make depression worse. An inability to sleep that lasts over a long period of time is also an important clue that someone may be depressed.”
One must identify the difference between sleeping problems and if this problem is a sign of depression. Once identified, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Hindrance to Productivity and Performance
Once depression sets in, the productivity and performance will be affected due to one’s physical and emotional aspect. One of its effects is lethargy because of overthinking and sleep depravity.
I hear of family and friends, coworkers and peers being lethargic and uninspired at work. It is an alarming phenomenon.
This can drain one’s energy and will keep you away from your normal activities like your daily routine at work, exercise, social life and even loss of appetite. As a result, a person who will experience this will lack focus and interest.
Time will be at a slower pace and the mind is preoccupied with the cause of depression rather than the normal activities that one should be accomplishing.
Our performance and productivity are the sources of our self-confidence and self-belongingness at the workplace. Without them, insecurities can build up within a depressed person and self-worth will be affected or depreciate.
If you have a hard time going back to your normal activities then you need to recognize that it can be an early sign of depression and you need to do something while you still can.
You can easily identify this sign of depression if your work is pilling up and your friends start to look for you because you prefer to be alone most of the time.
Self Isolation
A while ago, I mentioned that there is still a stigma in terms of accepting mental sickness as something that is discriminated by those who deemed to be normal and mentally healthy.
As a result, those who are experiencing symptoms may isolate themselves and ignore the signs that if diagnosed early, can lead to overall mental wellness.
According to Psychology Today, these stigmas are divided into two distinct types. Social stigma and perceived stigma or self-stigma.
Social stigma is characterized by prejudicial attitudes and discriminating behavior directed towards individuals with mental health problems as a result of the psychiatric label they have been given.
In contrast, perceived stigma or self-stigma is the internalizing by the mental health sufferer of their perceptions of discrimination (Link, Cullen, Struening & Shrout, 1989), and perceived stigma can significantly affect feelings of shame and lead to poorer treatment outcomes (Perlick, Rosenheck, Clarkin, Sirey et al., 2001).
Whether it is social or self-stigma is present, self-isolation can be the result of depression taking over your mind.
If this happens, you need the support of those who are close to you, may it be family of friends that can help you get on your feet.
Signs of depression can easily creep in us not, just in the work setting but whenever there are overwhelming situations in life that is too much for us to handle.
It’s best that whenever there are signs of depression in you or those who are close to you, seek help immediately.
Together, this generation can fight the stigma that imprisons every person who is showing signs of depression but is powerless to go out in the open for treatment.
With the help of advocacy of medical institutions and those who were freed from depression, significant actions can encourage people to come forward and be treated for the sake of their well-being.
Whether the source of depression be at work, family, relationships or situations that can be life-altering, the open-mindedness of a person to see the signs of depression can save him from the worst.
