Dealing with Depression 2020

Dealing with Depression During Covid - 19

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by hopelessness and despair.  The stress of social isolation, the worry about jobs, money, health, and the profound feelings of loss that many are experiencing at the moment can trigger depression for the first time or exacerbate symptoms if you’ve already been diagnosed.

When you are suffering from depression, life can seem overwhelmingly bleak and hopeless. It can interfere with your ability to think straight, drain your energy, and make it difficult to get through the day. Even as some countries and regions begin to ease stay-at-home restrictions, it seems unlikely that life will fully return to normal any time soon.

How COVID-19 affects depression

This is a distressing, uncertain time. Even as some places start to open up again after months of lockdown, the end may still seem a long way off. You may have lost your job, be struggling financially, and worried about if and when the economy will pick up. You could be grieving the loss of loved ones or the life you knew before the pandemic or feeling frustrated and cut off by continued social distancing. Living in the time of coronavirus can have a profound effect on your mood.

Isolation and loneliness fuels depression. Human beings are social creatures. Being cut off from the love, support, and close contact of family and friends can trigger depression or make existing symptoms worse. Months of social distancing and sheltering at home can leave you feeling isolated and lonely, having to face your problems alone.

A troubled relationship may be even worse than loneliness. While strong and supportive relationships are crucial for your mental wellbeing, being forced to spend months quarantined in a troubled, unhappy, or abusive relationship can be even more damaging to your mood than being alone.

Anxiety can lead to depression. All the fear and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 means it’s natural to worry. When your worries spiral out of control, they can cause panic and anxiety. Since anxiety and depression are believed to stem from the same biological vulnerability, one can often lead to the other.

Stress levels are soaring. Experiencing a major change in your life, such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, being diagnosed with a serious illness, or financial or relationship difficulties, can bring overwhelming levels of stress. As a result of this pandemic, you may be experiencing several of these major stressors at once, making you more vulnerable to depression.

Turning to unhealthy ways of coping. The boredom, loneliness, and stress of being in lockdown, struggling financially, or having to juggle a job and home school your kids, can prompt unhealthy ways of coping. Maybe you’re drinking too much, abusing drugs, or overeating junk food in an attempt to self-medicate your mood and deal with stress. While these methods may provide a brief respite, in the long run they’ll make your depression symptoms much worse. Instead, you can use the following healthy strategies to boost your mood and ease your depression.

Change your focus

There is no easy fix for recovering from depression and finding the energy and motivation to take the first step can be tough. But you have more control over your mood than you may realize.

It is true that these are painful and worrying times, and few people have much to be cheerful about at the moment. But at the same time, depression can make things seem even worse than they really are. When you’re depressed, everything is filtered through a lens of negativity. By simply recognizing that, you can start to change your focus and take the first step to feeling more optimistic.

Distract yourself. When you are depressed, out of work, and isolated from your social network, the negative thoughts running over and over in your head can seem never ending. But you can break the cycle by focusing on something that adds meaning and purpose to your life. Perhaps there is something you’ve always wanted to learn, like a new language or a musical instrument, or perhaps you’ve always wanted to write a novel, take up cooking, or grow your own vegetables. Focusing on a project or goal, even a small one, can give you a welcome break from negative thoughts or worries and add a sense of meaning to your days.

Find simple sources of joy. While you can’t force yourself to have fun, you can push yourself to do things that will boost your mood throughout the day. Try listening to uplifting music (even getting up and dancing around if you can) or finding a reason to laugh by watching funny videos on YouTube or episodes of your favourite sitcom.

Maintain a routine. Sleeping too much or too little, skipping meals or exercise, and neglecting your personal care only feeds into your depression. Establishing and maintaining a daily routine, on the other hand, adds structure to your day, even if you’re alone and out of work. Try to include set times for exercising or spending time outside.

Express gratitude. When you are depressed, especially at this awful time, it can seem that everything in life is bleak and hopeless. But even in the darkest days, it’s usually possible to find one thing you can be grateful about, the beauty of a sunset or a phone call from a friend, for example. Acknowledging your gratitude can provide a respite from negative thinking and really boost your mood.

If you are feeling suicidal…

When depression makes you feel suicidal, your problems don’t seem temporary, they seem overwhelming and permanent. But with time, you will feel better, especially if you get help. There are many people who want to support you during this difficult time, so please reach out!

We are here to support you

For Professional Confidential Counselling contact us on 0861 776 227 or directly on our lockdown numbers:

Gauteng & Other regions: 060 390 4885 / 082 455 2336

Western Cape: 082 977 4435 / 082 339 8988

Sources utilised:

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/dealing-with-depression-during-coronavirus.htm