Beating Depression Without Beating Yourself
If you are feeling depressed, you may be withdrawn socially, and less active. Unfortunately, avoiding social situations and slowing down can reduce the positive reinforcement you get from life, increase isolation, increase fatigue, and lead to built-up guilt from not accomplishing anything.
You may use these coping mechanisms, that ultimately are harming you.
- Withdraw Socially: To avoid feeling ashamed about being depressed, you may avoid seeing friends. This coping strategy leaves you feeling more isolated and out of touch with the people and support who can help you.
- Avoiding Family: To avoid potentially being irritable around your partner or children, you may try to minimize contact with them. Your children may act up, your relationship might suffer, and you may end up feeling guilty about not spending any time with them.
- Disengaging from Work: Maybe to avoid the embarrassment of not meeting deadlines, you may stop going to work altogether.
- Living with Tiredness: To cope with feeling tired and to get some relief from your depression you may nap during the day. Unfortunately, napping can disrupt your sleeping pattern, which can lead to more fatigue!
If you find yourself falling into these traps I can help. Please feel free to contact me at the links below.
