I think the main reason of depression in teens is overthinking. They are in this phase of life, expecting everything to be perfect and easy as before in their childhood. But suddenly as they grow up, they set some goals or start dreaming to achieve everything they want, whether it’s getting “A” in academics, or being getting selected in their favorite sports team in school, or getting popularity in college and the list go on.
Then, they meet failures, rejections, pressure of meeting a lot of expectations, their goal suddenly seems high than they thought it would be. And they realize they have to fight to achieve their dreams, and whenever they lose in this fight, somewhere a small piece of their hopes.. shatters. And they start thinking about it again and again and again, they start to underestimate themselves. They love their dream but they think maybe they are strong enough to achieve it. Why can’t he/she be like others who are doing it? Why can’t they be happy just like others? Why can’t their life be not happy and easy just like others?
And they keep on thinking about it and they stop trying, because they are scared- what if they’ll fail again? Will they be able to face the failures? Or parents? Or friends?
This overthinking just wastes their time, leading them to do nothing, lowering their self-confidence, bringing their hopes down, and thus making their life worse.
They need to understand, teenage is the most beautiful phase of life. You get the ability to understand things, how this world is existing and how you can live in this beautiful world. You meet people who loves you for rest of their lives. You start to feel the real meaning of happiness - whether it’s your big success or a stranger’s smile when you are really feeling down. You can sense love while listening to music. You start to feel your existence in this world.
This is just a learning phase. so what if it’s a little hard, just remember - “This, too, shall pass” .. and hold on ...!!
You’ll have a great life ahead, just Never Give Up..!! Don’t think too much, just enjoy.
Today’s failure is giving you lessons for tomorrow’s success.. Just Breathe and try..!!
Why does it feel like everyone has depression? What is REALLY happening to our society?
The main problem is that no one cares about anyone. No one has the time to lend an ear! Everyone is busy in the rat race. Everyone is busy in achieving the best stuff for themselves, best partner, best children, best college, best course and what not.
But the truth is everyone can get the good things in the life but not the best. People assume the good stuff as the mediocre one and start seeing themselves as failure. This is why most of the people are depressed. Plus they cannot share their emotional problems because everyone is busy. And in the bottom of the heart, each one of us know no one cares!
Even in a crowd, it is possible to feel lonely. No wonder, everyone is depressed!
Does depression affect your performance?
For people like myself who have depression, it can be hard to see any positive qualities in ourselves. That being said, I’ve never met anyone without any! The problem is getting past that relentless self-depretiating voice in your head, the one that loves nothing more than to constantly put you down and convinces you that you’re useless in everyway. Such a powerful and emphatic voice can be difficult to ignore, but believe me when I tell you, you’re much stronger than you realise. Depression Is not a quick fix ,but you can learn to live with it, and despite it, by taking small manageable steps, you can go on to lead a fulfilled and successful life.
ACCEPTANCE AND APPRECIATION – First you need to accept that you have a serious life changing illness and that it’s not your fault. That might sound strange, buts it’s actually the most important stage of your journey. It took me a long time to come to terms with my illness and stop blaming myself for it, feeling ashamed, and thinking that I was strange and weak for feeling the way I was. You can’t begin to plan ways to live with depression until you have reached this stage of acceptance. Your family and friends also need to accept it, and realise that you’re going to have your limitations, and often plans may need to change at the last minute. If your friends don’t even try to be understanding or empathetic towards you, then I would question whether they’re true friends at all.
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. ( Walter Winchell)
When you have depression, your good days tend to be fewer and farther between. That’s why it’s so important to embrace these moments and make the most of what ever you love to do. I can honestly say that I appreciate the smaller things in life and take less for granted, much less than prior to me having depression.
BRAVERY- You can’t tackle depression on your own. It doesn’t matter how strong you think you are, you will need help. And asking for help is not anything to be ashamed of. Depression is life changing and debilitating. If you had any serious physical condition, you wouldn’t hesitate. So why do so many people insist on struggling on their own, when they’re actually suffering something that millions of people can relate too.
The problem is when you’re battling your mental health, it doesn’t feel this way. Instead, it seems like you’re the only person in the world like this, you’re painfully abnormal and nobody could possibly understand. It’s a frightening, confusing time. It seems cruel to inflict your misery on others and you don’t feel deserving of any support. Try to remember though, this is the depression talking. You are worthy of support and people will appreciate your honesty. It takes a lot of courage to confide in others, but it will be a huge relief when you do so. For me once I started opening up, I was surprised by just how many people could relate to my illness. I took a lot of strength from this, and it’s now much easier to open up about my mental health. I no longer hide behind it.
COMPASSION AND SENSITIVITY- You need support, be it from family and friends or specific support groups, of which there are many. Most People are not going to understand your illness entirely and I wouldn’t expect them to, unless they've experienced it’s symptoms themselves. What I do expect is for them to remain open minded and none judgemental. If this is not the case then these are not the kind of people you want to surround yourself with.
You need to be compassionate to yourself and recognise that this is a horrible illness to live with. In other words cut yourself some slack, stop beating yourself up all the time and viewing every unsuccessful act as a fail. This can be a massive challenge at times, believe me I know! But at least try to give it a go.
It’s not important how many set backs we have or how many times we get knocked down. What’s important is that we continue to get back up again. Finding the inner strength to battle your depression and persevere with things, despite how crap you’re feeling! That is a quality which can’t be underestimated. It’s also a quality which can be very hard to find (I appreciate this), but it’s in there somewhere, if you delve deep enough. I try to think of my depression as a separate entity or a monster, if you like! The monster feeds itself on my negativity and low self-esteem, but the more I pick myself up and continue with my life, the weaker it gets, and this is hugely satisfying. I know it’s not always possible, and some days it still wins the battle, but I find myself more and more determined to bounce back and refuse to let it win the war. I realise that you may be at a different stage of your journey and I appreciate that some days you may struggle to find any fight what so ever. The advice I give, is that where ever possible, try not to fuel your monster.
By repeating an activity regularly enough, difficult soon turns into manageable, manageable turns into easy and before you know it you’re wondering why you were worrying so much in the first place.
please read the reflection down below after reading this and just to put it up here I am not a professional
Smiles- People with depression will cover it up and most of the time they are really good at it.
Disinterest- they might not like things they liked before.Also, if you bring up depression in a casual conversation they might try to change the subject.
Weight- if you are really close to this person you might be able to monitor their weight if it has big increases or decreases that may be a sign.
Appetite- they may eat less or eat a lot more.
lack of energy or motivation/emptiness- they/you might not want to do things they/you previously enjoyed and life may seem hopeless. An excuse for this is the constant “I'm just tired.” They just stop trying or feel as though they can't do anything so its not worth their time.
Hopelessness and/or helplessness- you feel life is not worth living, there is no hope for the future,
Stagnation- They/you don’t want to get out of bed. ignoring your problems and thinking that by ignoring your problem it will go away but it won’t. It just gets worse.
Irritability and bitterness- Everything or anyone becomes a nuisance. They/you lash out at everyone as if it were their fault you are depressed.
Bouts of crying and sadness- You realize you have frequent crying spells, which is not how you used to be. You feel sad, empty or numb all the time and you dwell on your misery and can’t seem to escape it.
Apathy, selfishness and fear/cowardice- Many depressed people can often forget or choose to forget they have other people to live for hence why they need to get help but some people just choose to remain in their condition, not getting any help and not giving a damn about it. With regards to cowardice is kind of linked to apathy. Cowards are afraid of facing life, making decisions, growing up, taking ownership, and the list goes on.
Withdrawing/Not keeping in contact-this kind goes along with lack of energy and motivation this person might not be texting/posting as much as they used to or choose to stay away from people they know and be alone.
Lack of self-care- this person may not take care of themselves as they used to, whether thats not eating or even as little as not washing their hands. This one can be just a sign someone is lazy or that they might have depression.
What are the common misconceptions about depression today?
Depression means you are sad all the time.
False. Some people say depression is more than sad. I'd say it's totally different from sad. Sad is a kind of emotion, often come in an intensive way. Your heart aches, your body reacts, but it's still a healthy emotion.
Depression is void of all emotion. You're numb, careless, empty, apathetic, and feeling like you're an outsider of the world. You walk down the familiar hallway, see your classmates chatting with each other, and you don't think you belong to the same place with them anymore. An invisible wall barricaded yourself from the rest of others on the earth.
Depression is the loss of the ability to feel happiness or appreciate life. Everything ceases to be colorful or enjoyable. Everything turns meaningless. You feel like answering every question with a shrug, "so what?"
People with depression cry all the time.
Half true, but not entirely. Some people have excessive crying spells, some simply can't cry at all. It varies.
According to my own experience, if you're still able to cry, you're not beyond hope.
Depression is a choice/a way to seek attention.
False. The pervasive feeling in a depressive episode is the loss of control, which is the exact opposite of "choice."
Feigning depression is a very inefficient way to seek attention. If you really feel someone is seeking attention, perhaps they have totally lost control of their brain and nerves, and they are clinging on you to seek a reason to live. In other words, you can be the last straw for them.
Even if they are feigning depression to seek attention, there must be a reason why they want attention, and why they choose to seek attention in this way.
Depressed people are weak.
False. Depressed people are anything but weak.
Could anyone imagine how much strength it takes to get up and do the simplest task every morning during a depressive episode?
We cope with the ups and downs of daily life like everyone else. On top of it, we have to fight with our brain that turns against us, we have to tirelessly feign happiness when we are around people, and we also have to bear the shame because people wouldn't understand.
Life won't stop for me just because I'm in a depressive episode. Life goes on. If I don't force myself to gather the strength to function, things would only get worse.
Depression happens for a reason. The fault is on the depressed person.
False. Depression is a legitimate illness that can happen to anyone, whether or not there are significant changes in your life.
Depression is a legitimate illness caused by brain chemistry, function, structure, and sometimes involves environmental or biological factors.
Just because you live a healthy life doesn't mean cancer won't find you. In the same vein, just because you live a decent life all along doesn't mean your brain won't get sick.
Always remember — it's not your fault that you are sick!
You can tell who has depression.
False. Right now, as I'm sitting here chatting, smiling and playing with a friend. No one really knows what's running through my mind. And I'm very sure 80% of people I'm seeing around here are just the way I am.
The symptoms of depression are all emotion-related.
Mostly false. It's usually a mixture of both emotional and physical discomfort.
Depression manifests in a lot of physical discomfort, including aches and pains, sleeping too much or too little, and extreme lethargy.
Be wary of depression. Try to spot it before the mental illness has graduated to suicidal thoughts.