This week is National Anxiety and Depression awareness week. When we think of anxiety and depression, we tend to think of the most debilitating and extreme cases of these feelings. The truth is that these feelings impact thousands more on a daily basis. Many of these people do not even recognize that what they are feeling is not normal and that it is changeable. This article can help you to identify if you live with anxiety or depression, so that you can take the next step and do something about it.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a response to a feeling of not having control in our lives. We all experience anxious feelings at various times, and in its minor form, anxiety can help us motivate ourselves to get certain tasks completed. However in its most negative form, anxiety can be extremely debilitating. If you regularly do or experience any of the following, you may live with anxiety:
- Avoid new social situations
- Always in a hurry.
- Do not start conversation for fear of sounding foolish.
- Avoid certain places.
- Have a repetitive thought that you can’t get rid of.
- Lose sleep worrying about tomorrow.
- Deal with panic attacks.
- Don’t date to avoid intimacy.
- Have angry outbursts.
- Find it difficult to settle on a decisive decision.
Depression
Depression is often described as an anger turned inwards. However in its lesser forms, it is not necessarily as intense as anger, but more like an irritability towards yourself. Some minor forms of depression are experienced in relation to grief. However, there are times where this cycle becomes a way of life for people. You may be living with depression if you experience any of the following:
- Frequently feel bored.
- Pessimistic and sarcastic a majority of the time.
- Do not want to go to work.
- Find it difficult to concentrate.
- Lack energy to accomplish things.
- Sloppy, less detailed focus at work.
- Irritable with others.
- Do not engage in as much social activity as you once did.
- Thought of harming yourself.
- Deal with sleepless nights.
Many of the items on this list are symptoms that are commonly associated with depression and anxiety. However other items are those minor things that many people do throughout their daily lives, without recognizing that there is another way to live. If you are one of these people who identifies with items on these lists, but never thought of it as depression or anxiety, you may benefit from seeking out the help of a professional. Contact a therapist, psychologist, or a psychiatrist, and discuss these symptoms to determine if you may benefit from therapy or medication. Know that you can change your life, and feel content in a way that you never have before.
