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Depression. Such a scary word! When we hear the word depression,
we think of all the terrible things we have heard or read. People
committing suicide or killing their loved ones in a moment of darkest
despair. We often tend to avoid people who are depressed, those
who are always gloomy or talk about sad things all the time. Smile
and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone. A very old
saying, yet still very apt.
Depression is an oft maligned term which may be the reason why
people usually avoid admitting to suffering from depression publicly.
People associate depression with failure. People who suffer from
depression are those who have failed at life in some way.This is
rarely always the case. Most of us suffer from some level of depression
at some point or another in our lives.
Sometimes, it's due to a loved ones passing away, or not being able
to achieve something that we desire, or due to physical illness,
a common type, for eg, is called postpartum depression that a new
mother often has after having a baby, due to sharp falls in the
hormonal levels. Another common reason could be due to thyroid malfunction,
which is usually controlled with conventional medicines. Usually,
we are able to overcome an illness with the help of supportive people
around us or through sheer optimism or faith. But when we find it
lingering on is when the problem may actually start. According to
research, also, women are more prone to depression than men.
Depression is caused due to chemical imbalances in our brain, post
mortem research conducted on the brains of suicide victims found
abnormally low levels of a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin
is usually found in foods such as chocolate, milk, sweets etc. Most
women when depressed, tend to find comfort in eating chocolate,
some like to drink sweet milk etc.
Men tend to seek comfort in a different manner, most try to turn
towards some physical activity such as jogging, cycling, walking,
working out etc. the majority tend to vent their emotions on someone
else, (think of the perpetually bad tempered boss,mother,father,
husband, wife etc) .
People who want to or tend to always eat even when they are not
hungry or don't feel hungry when they should are probably either
overstressed or overreacting to stress. In some cases, its simply
a matter of stress management, learning how to cope with stress
effectively, perhaps changing certain habits which are stressful
may help, such as managing time more effectively. In some cases,
it may not be quite as simple, especially if the person is trying
his/her level best to cope and is simply unable to do so. In such
cases, professional intervention may be required.
If a person has a physical illness, he would seek a doctor, especially
if the illness was one that interfered with daily, normal functioning,
wouldn't he? In this case, it's really sad that people don't realize
that their brain, which is also part of their physical structure,
can also malfunction at times .How do we know when a part of our
body is ill? When it does not perform properly. Our brain which
controls our entire body functions including, most importantly,
our emotions, is one that we expect to perform perfectly all the
time. Never, ever malfunctioning or needing help. Yet, proof of
our misconceptions lie all around us.
Think of the person who's unable to control his anger, or his aggression,
always getting into fights or unable to hold down a job anywhere.
Or think of the person in the prime of his life, who's always sitting
down watching T.V., switching channel after channel, complaining
of never ending boredom, not having the energy to simply rouse himself
up and get going. Or when we keep nagging someone to either lose
or gain weight. We call them lazy, lacking in motivation, etc.is
that all there is to it? In such cases, surely constantly insulting
or criticizing them should be effective enough to motivate them,
shouldn't it? Well, when it isn't, what do we do then? Doom them
to a useless life? In some cases,in many Eastern countries, people
think that the solution is to marry them off. They will be alright
once they have some responsibilities, the family believes. How many
marriages fail due to this fallacy?
In most cases, mild depression is something that can be managed
effectively with certain changes in ones lifestyle or habits. A
person who's bored with life can find ways to bring some harmless,
healthy excitement into his life. Simply changing one's routine
can also help. Starting a simple, daily exercise regime is also
very effective. Exercise forces our brain to release chemicals that
make us feel good. Joining a club, making new friends, or doing
social work etc are other ways. Simply sitting and waiting for it
to go away is not going to work. Doing something healthy that we
enjoy is always very useful.
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