7 Signs It is Not Depression, But Sadness

Major depression or clinical depression is when you’re depressed on most days, losing interest in normal activities and relationships, for at least 2 weeks or more. Major depression include depressive symptoms like fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, impaired concentration, insomnia or hypersomnia, restlessness, or even thoughts of suicide. Whether it is depression, and not sadness, we encourage you to watch this video to really learn the difference between sadness and depression.

If you notice that your symptoms of sadness has lasted for a long time, we encourage you to start taking the first step to learn more and seek help.

We even have a playlist, covering everything about depression here:

People often confuse sadness for depression. What is depression?

Writer: Chamae
Script Editor: Caitlin McColl
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
VO: Amanda Silvera (www.youtube.com/amandasilvera)
Animator: Kami Animation
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

REFERENCES
Berry, J. (2018, July 11). How do I know I am feeling depressed? Medical News Today. Retrieved from www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314071#feels

Gernon, D. (2020, March 10). On knowing the difference between sadness and depression. A Lust For Life – Irish Mental Health Charity in Ireland. Retrieved from www.alustforlife.com/tools/mental-health/on-knowing-the-difference-between-sadness-and-depression?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5-WRBhCKARIsAAId9FkGPDKSK7XUQo1aaVd0c9Yt1Jtx4AUSaQ38M8TM6vHZe35-0veavkwaAuVQEALw_wcB

Mental Health America. (2021, November 30). Am I depressed or just sad? Retrieved from screening.mhanational.org/content/am-i-depressed-or-just-sad/

Mental Health Foundation. (2017, February 2). 1. Talk about your feelings. Retrieved from www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/looking-after-your-mental-health/talk-about-your-feelings#:%7E:text=Talking%20about%20your%20feelings%20can,you%20can%20to%20stay%20healthy.

Smith, M., M. A., Segal, J., Ph. D., & Robinson, L. (2022, March 24). Burnout Prevention and Treatment. HelpGuide.Org. Retrieved from www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm

Talklet. (2021, March 26). Why Talking about your Feelings is Important for your Mental Wellness. Retrieved from www.mytalklet.com/post/talking-about-your-feelings

Whelan, C. (2017, March 31). Is It Depression or Sadness? Learn the Signs. Healthline. Retrieved from www.healthline.com/health/depression/depression-vs-sadness

World Health Organization. (2019, May 28). Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases. Retrieved from www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases#:%7E:text=%E2%80%9CBurn%2Dout%20is%20a%20syndrome,related%20to%20one’s%20job%3B%20and

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Coping With Stress And Not Letting It Harm You

Stress is a condition that psychologically affects us all at some point in our lives. Different things can cause us to be stressed, such as losing a job, preparing for an exam or having to make difficult decisions. There are many ways to deal with stress, and the advice in the following article will show you the best ways.

Limit the amount of alcohol that you drink during the course of the night when at the bar or club. When you consume alcohol, your stress levels will go up and you will become flustered quicker. Instead, drink soda or a fruit drink if you want to limit your stress.

Take more vitamins. Vitamin B has been shown to help reduce stress. Try to take between 100 percent and 300 percent of the daily allowance. Minerals such as chromium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, molybdenum, zinc, manganese, and selenium also help you to better deal with stress. Stay away from vitamins labeled as stress relievers as they are usually just vitamin B.

Ahhh…. Who doesn’t love a hot bath? Soaking in a bath is a great stress reliever. But, we don’t always have time for a hot bath. If you don’t have time for a bath, wash your face or even your hands with some hot water and imagine you are soaking your stresses away.

Exercise is wonderful to relieve stress. It gets your heart rate pumping and takes your mind off of the stressful events in your life. Consider activities such as walking, tennis, running, swimming or biking. Stress related chemicals are burned off during exercise and it is healthy for you and your heart!

Drinking alcohol is a really bad way to cure a stress filled day. While light social drinking is okay, using beer as an answer to tension on a daily basis is a bad idea. This can easily push you into a downward cycle that is difficult to break.

If you’re finding yourself under a lot of stress often, try scheduling your day. If you plan your day out, you won’t have to worry about trying to figure out what do next. Or if you’re already doing this and are still stressed, do the opposite and try and wing it each day. Find the right medium between scheduling and winging it that works for you.

Do not turn to alcohol to try and reduce stress. Alcohol may make you feel better for a short period of time, but it is actually a depressant. This means that you will move right past that good feeling and actually feel worse than you did before you began drinking.

Find out and target what it is that is stressing you out. If it is just your job, then think about switching careers. If it is your family, then work on the issues you have with them. Really zone in on what it is that is causing your stress and then deal with the root of the problem.

Instead of just thinking about how you can lower stress, write your thoughts out. Develop two lists for yourself: one that covers stresses you may have the ability to control and one that lists stressors out of your hands. Let go of the stresses that you can’t control and concentrate on the list of stressors that you can change.

If you’re stressed out often, a good way to reduce your stress is to get a pet. Playing with animals is proven to reduce stress and release endorphins in the brain, making you happier and healthier. Cats, dogs, birds, lizards, and any number of other animals can be a great way to de-stress your life.

Gain hold of yourself by focusing on deep, controlled breathing during stressful situations. Take a moment to count to ten, take a few deep breaths, then respond. Following those steps will help you to remain professional and even-tempered instead of angry, defensive or hostile.

One way to keep stress levels under control is to improve your ability to prioritize and manage time. If you continue to rush around, it puts your body under stress, constantly. If you can learn to manage your time well, this situation will be a thing of the past. When you plan ahead, use a schedule and manage your time well with time management tools, you can do what you need to do without getting too stressed or overwhelmed.

A good tip that can help you keep your stress in check, is to remind yourself that other people have gone what you’ve gone through. Whatever difficult situation you’re in, there’s always someone who has gone through it and persevered. Telling yourself this, can be a great way to keep your stress down.

Stress can cause you seriously bad health problems. It can lead to heart attacks or some other kind of organ failure because your organs cannot function under extreme pressure. Think about your priorities and keep your health at the top of that list as you try to rid your life of stressful things.

Trim down your schedule. Often we simply pile too much on ourselves and then become overwhelmed when we simply can’t keep up with our schedules. Whether we are taking classes at college, attending various social functions, or volunteering to work extra hours at work, we have to realize we can only accomplish so much.

To make your day run more smoothly, tackle the most stressful tasks you have to complete first. Getting the worst parts of your day out of the way immediately will give you a sense or relief, and will make minor tasks much easier to complete. You also have more energy at the start of your day, which makes challenging tasks easier to get through.

In conclusion, we are psychologically affect by stress at some point. Stress can be caused by many different factors, such as job loss or being faced with difficult choices. If you remember the advice from the article above, you can choose a method to help you deal with stress.