6 Signs You May Be Overlooking Your Depression

If you're being honest, you haven't felt like yourself in a while. You can't even remember the last time you fully felt 100%. You've been struggling to get out of bed in the morning despite having a job to get to, work to get done, and an overflowing to-do list.

When you get ready and pick out your outfit for the day, you feel like you have an added step of picking out the perfect face. You can't let anyone in to see the true you. They can't see how you've really been feeling. You have to put on a mask and fake it until you make it.

You keep telling yourself that this will pass. You're just having a bad day. It will get better. But day after day passes, and you're left feeling the same way. Here are 6 signs you may be overlooking your depression.

1. The Physical Signs

Depression can cause a lot of physical signs. It's one of the most common indicators of depression. If you notice aches and pains, headaches, and digestive issues and aren't quite sure where they're coming from, depression could be the culprit.

2. The Emotional Signs

Depression can cause a lot of emotional signs and symptoms that may be difficult to spot. A person struggling with depression will experience feelings of extreme sadness, hopelessness, or worthlessness. To make matters worse, they may even experience additional signs and symptoms of anger or guilt for feeling this way in the first place.

3. The Behavioral Signs

A loss of interest in activities, especially in activities that were previously enjoyed, is a big indicator of depression. This is one of the many behavioral signs of depression. Not only will these changes cause someone to isolate or withdraw from activities and people of interest, but they also may show a lack of interest in their work or home life with tasks and to-dos that need to get done.

4. The Cognitive Signs

Depression doesn't just harm one's personal life. Changes take place that can also cause issues within professional lives and relationships. Depression can cause issues in someone's cognitive abilities. Someone struggling with depression will have a harder time paying attention, concentrating, remembering certain details, and making decisions.

5. Sleeping Problems

Sleep is an essential that everyone needs so their body has time to rest and recharge for each day. Depression can interrupt someone's sleep schedule and routine and cause them to either sleep too little or sleep too much. Someone with depression may have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep at night. This can leave them feeling extremely low energy. On the other hand, depression can also cause someone to sleep too much. No matter how much sleep they get, they still may feel like they don't have enough energy to do anything else.

6. Changes in Eating Habits

If you're struggling with depression, you may notice that you've been experiencing changes in your appetite levels lately. Depression can cause you to either not feel hungry or have no appetite and under-eat, or you may experience extreme hunger and overeat instead. These changes can not only cause health issues, but they can also cause you to feel even worse about yourself. The way you fuel your body can help it perform and function. If you're not giving it the nutrients it needs, or if you're consuming foods that are high in sugar or carbohydrates, you may feel low energy and fatigued.

Next Steps

If you or a loved one are struggling with any of these signs, it's important to seek additional support as soon as possible. Asking for help isn't easy, but with something like depression, it's necessary. Depression is challenging, but finding a treatment option is possible. Reach out today to learn more about depression or life transition counseling to get started.