While most people have a basic idea of what depression is, there’s a common misconception that it only affects your mental health. It certainly starts there. But, when depression takes over your mental state, it can wreak havoc on almost every area of your life.
Depression symptoms can manifest themselves physically, emotionally, and behaviorally. You run the risk of negatively impacting your career, your relationship(s), and even your own sense of self-worth.
Whether you’re struggling with depression or know someone who is, it’s important to understand how it affects all areas of your life. The more you know about the different ways depression can impact your life, the sooner you can seek the treatment and support you deserve.
Your Self-Esteem
Depression often goes along with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. That can create a pessimistic outlook on life, but it also makes it easier to see yourself in a negative light. You might feel worthless, or even guilty about things you’ve done in the past or the way you’re living now.
When your self-worth dwindles down to nothing, it can impact everything from your career to your social life.
Speaking of your career, depression can cause you to have difficulty concentrating. It makes it hard to be decisive about your choices, and you may even have trouble remembering things. You're likely to lose your motivation and productivity. Combine those issues with the fatigue and permanently “sad” mood that often go with the disorder, and it’s likely you’ll have trouble doing well in your career.
Physical Symptoms
Some people experience chronic pain or other physical ailments as a result of depression. Persistent physical symptoms like headaches, muscle aches, and digestive disorders are common.
Unfortunately, when they are caused by depression, they don’t often respond to treatment. Treating the mental health condition is the key to feeling better, physically.
The physical problems aren’t just limited to pain or a higher risk of illness. You can also experience physical changes in things like your sex life. Depression often lowers libido, which can make you less interested in intimacy with your partner. In turn, that can have a negative impact on your relationship.
Not Feeling Like Yourself
When you’re dealing with depression, you might find that you lose interest in things you typically enjoy. It might even seem like nothing brings you happiness, anymore. If you were an avid camper before and a friend asks you to go on a trip, you might dread it. If you loved exercising but now can’t bring yourself to go for a walk, it’s a sign of something bigger.
Those patterns, too, are often cyclical with depression. The condition causes you to lose interest in what you love. As a result, not doing things you enjoy can cause you to fall into a deeper depression.
It doesn’t help when you feel tired and fatigued most of the time. Those feelings of heaviness can make it hard to want to do anything, but all the symptoms are tied together.
Breaking the Cycle
As you can see, many of the ways depression affects your life go in a cycle. The more it overtakes things, the worse you’re likely to feel. But, you don’t have to let depression completely take over your life.
If you’re struggling with any of these problems, you don’t have to work through them alone. Depression is treatable and the symptoms are manageable. Feel free to contact me for more information or to set up an appointment for depression therapy. We can get to the underlying cause(s) of your condition and work on ways to start taking your life back.