Do You Suffer From Low Mood & Depression?

Busy life, multiple responsibilities, increasing competition, consistent failures, problems in personal or work life, etc can test you patience level and may make you feel sad, upset, stressed and even anxious. Normally, we all face various situations in life, where our reactions to these situations determines our mood and mental status. Moreover, the reactions of different people to the same situation may not be the same and such experiences where we are unable to control our emotions, tend to lower our spirits. People who are inefficient in handling their emotions, often get stressed up soon and over the time, they may even suffer from depression.

We mostly ignore our emotional and mental health due to lack of awareness. We are aware that exercising and having healthy diet is essential for enjoying a great health and fit physique but having mental peace and finding ways to alleviate mental health is equally important. Our emotional health is also determined by the changes in our hormones that occur during puberty, after childbirth, during menopause, etc. Sometimes, we tend to feel low even if nothing has happened but still it can dampen our spirits.

What Exactly Is Low Mood & Depression?

Low mood and depression is often a result of excessive strain on brain and while people use these terms interchangeably, yet medical experts have found them different. Low mood is characterised by symptoms like exhaustiveness, sadness, worry, low self confidence, anxiety, anger and frustration. On the contrary, depression is prolonged low mood and the person starts feeling hopeless, helpless, extremely sad, unhappy with life, guilt-ridden, lack of interest in anything, irritable, suicidal, etc.

However, low mood can be treated easily if the person gets proper guidance to change his attitude or thought process to have an optimistic view at circumstances. Even having sufficient sleep, exercising and practising meditation helps a lot in improving the production of endorphins and good mood hormones. Depression however, needs to be tackled through proper expert advise since the person is mentally unstable and is facing emotional ups and downs. While many people are recommended medications, there are people who are advised to get admitted into rehabilitation centres that provide them guidance to tackle stress and give them a new lease of life.

If you are constantly facing periods of low mood and it refrains you from leading a normal life, then you must understand that the best way to get rid of these negative feelings is by getting help from someone one. When your mind is going through this difficult phase, then contact your general practitioner for assistance. At such juncture, you have the following options to recover your mind from the continued feeling of lowness:-

1. Self-Help

Even if you are diagnosed with depression by your general practitioner, you can take help of some self-help techniques to feel instantly better. It will be beneficial even if you are continuing with the prescribed medications. You must know that you are the main reason for suffering from depression and to ensure that you don’t again fall prey to this mental disorder, you need to change your lifestyle and thought process. Lifestyle changes such as sleeping adequately, following a proper work schedule, eating healthy foodstuffs only and exercising is a sure-shot way to feel relaxed and healthier. You will have more control on your emotions and thought process if you lead an active and healthy lifestyle.

Limiting consumption of alcohol and quitting smoking is a must if you want to bring change in your life. Following meditation techniques and performing deep breathing exercises along with developing the habit of reading positive and inspirational books will also help in keeping your mental health in check.

2. Talking Therapies

Sometimes the best way to let your emotions out is by talking. You may have noticed that you get certain sort of relief when you share if you had a bad day and instead of keeping your worries to yourself, you feel good after sharing it with someone. The other person may not be able to sort out your problems, but the fact that you let your heart speak gives a kind of relaxation to your mind and releases tension. Similarly, when you suffer from low mood, then instead of secluding yourself, get surrounded by people you love and talk with them.

However, people suffering from depression and anxiety issue need proper therapeutic treatment. Since their mental abilities to think and comprehend logically has diminished, their mind is fickle in terms that they might think of harming themselves. It becomes necessary that they get professional help immediately. You may consult your general practitioner for help but it would be better if you opt for some professional therapist who can judge and deal with the situation through various scientifically proven talking therapies.

Recommended: Why Depressed Thoughts Mostly Occur at Night

3. Antidepressants

Last but not the least is the most common type of medication called antidepressant. Most antidepressants work best for people suffering from low mood or sadness or who are mentally exhausted. It is also prescribed to patients suffering from depression along with treatments being carried by a therapist. For patients that cannot take medication for any reason, there are innovative solutions like TMS treatments which do not require taking any medication. Antidepressants are of various kinds such as TCAs (tricyclic antidepressants), MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) and SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Each kind of antidepressant serves a different purpose and when your therapist recommends you an antidepressant, then it will be based upon your depression or low mood symptoms.