7 Signs You’re Depressed and Don’t Know It

May was mental health awareness month. Even though we are late to posting this, we hope this video about depression can still help raise awareness. Sometimes, the signs of depression are not so obvious. For example, unstable mood, not being able to fall asleep, or losing appetite. Want to know how to know the signs of depression? We recommend seeing a professional if you see yourself relating to many of these signs.

As a mental wellness channel, we hope that the channel has somewhat inspired you to seek your own therapy, and gained a better understanding into your conditions.

We also have a playlist on various depression topics here as well:

This video is not meant to diagnose any individual nor is it a substitute for professional therapy. If you or a loved one have shown any of these signs and are concerned, please reach out to a mental health professional to explore in-depth. #depression

Writer: Brie Cerniglia
Script Editor: Caitlin McColl
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
Voice: Amanda Silvera (www.youtube.com/amandasilvera)
Animator: Chantal Van Rensburg
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

REFERENCES
Harvard Medical School. (2021, February 15). Are you missing these signs of anxiety or depression? Harvard Health. Retrieved from www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/are-you-missing-these-signs-of-anxiety-or-depression
Hayley. (2020, May 20). 10 symptoms of Depression – FACTY Health. Facty. Retrieved from facty.com/conditions/depression/10-symptoms-of-depression/10/
The Healthline Editorial Team. (2019, March 21). 9 depression symptoms to look out for. Healthline. Retrieved from www.healthline.com/health/depression/recognizing-symptoms
Leis, A., Ronzano, F., Mayer, M. A., Furlong, L. I., & Sanz, F. (2019). Detecting signs of depression in tweets in Spanish: Behavioral and linguistic analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(6). doi.org/10.2196/14199
Leonard, J., & Legg, T. J. (2019, June 19). Hidden signs of depression: How to spot them and what to do. Medical News Today. Retrieved from www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325513
Walton, A. G. (2022, April 14). Depression isn’t always what you think: The subtle signs. Forbes. Retrieved from www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/17/the-subtle-symptoms-of-depression/?sh=63a400741a3e

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Striking A Balance To Keep Stress At Bay

Different people will have altered reactions to stressful situations. Many people can be unsure as to the most effective way to handle stress. This list of tips and strategies can help you cope with stress and live a calmer life.

To reduce the amount of stress in your life, try to meditate, either with a group or alone in your home. This will give you the ability to focus your energy on something other than your problems and also appease your body from the inside out. When in a trance, you will be free of all your troubles.

If you are around family for most of the day, try to hug them as often as possible. This will make you feel at peace with the people that you care for the most, which will reduce your level of anxiety. Show affection towards the ones you love to eliminate stress.

Make sure you’re not taking too much on. If you’re feeling stressed, particularly at work, it could be because you’re trying to take on too much work at once. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re not able to handle your work load, let your boss know. Often, your boss will be more than happy to help you out or help you to find someone who can.

A very simple way to reduce stress is to start your day ten or fifteen minutes earlier. By giving yourself that extra few minutes each day, you’ll have time to sit and enjoy your cup of coffee or give you a head start on your commute so you won’t have to battle traffic, therefore reducing your stress level. That extra time also gives you a chance to catch up on things that might not have gotten done the previous day. It’s amazing what a few short minutes each day can do for your stress levels!

A great tip that can help you keep your stress levels down is to eliminate caffeine from your diet. Even though drinking coffee has become so popular these days, getting too much caffeine can have serious side effects. Cutting out caffeine will help you feel much less anxious.

If you are having a disagreement with someone, try having a long talk with them to work things out. This can be very relieving and take a weight off your shoulders that you may be carrying around all day. Resolving disputes with others can go a long way in alleviating stress.

To lower your stress levels. make sure you exercise at least three to five times each week for thirty minutes each session. The exercise can be anything from running and swimming to simply a daily walk. Exercise has the benefit of releasing endorphins, chemicals that enhance your mood, making it a great way to de-stress at the end of a hectic day!

In order to deal with your stress, consider calling a free stress hotline. This is important because the counselors you will speak to are trained in how to help you manage your stress and are there for you. Sometimes you are not able to deal with everything on your own and need help.

Stress can be severe and take a toll on your health. If you find yourself experiencing anxiety, depression, dizzy spells, a pulse that races, bad headaches, bad backaches or chronic neck pain, it is time to talk to your doctor about your options. Catching stress-related symptoms early helps you stay healthy and well.

Putting pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) can go a long way in stress reduction. Often times we have difficulty discussing the matters which stress us most, but when it’s just between you and your writing, things have a way of working themselves to the surface and clearing up a great deal of stress. Keep a diary of the things that are causing stress in your life, go back and reflect on the ways that you handled them.

To identify hidden sources of stress in your life, start keeping a stress journal. Each time you find yourself feeling stressed out, make a note of it in your journal. Record what happened, how it made you feel and how you responded to the stressful event or situation. This will allow you to spot patterns of stress over time so you can develop an effective long term stress management plan.

Be sure to tell the people around you that your stress is not a reflection on them. Sometimes, it is easy for partners and children to feel as though they are causing you to feel stressed out. Your stress needs to be something that you handle, and it is important not to shift it onto the people that you love.

To reduce stress, try cutting out caffeine from your diet. Switch from regular coffee to decaf and try to drink, either caffeine-free sodas or an alternative drink. If you’re used to drinking a lot of caffeine, ween yourself off slowly so that you don’t get a withdrawal headache. This should help to reduce your stress levels.

Take some time out of your life to sit down and read about stress. Many times when you understand exactly how something works it allows you to be able to handle it much better. When you understand the psychology of stress, you should be better equipped to avoid it when it comes around.

A great tip that can help you keep your stress levels down is to be able to acknowledge that most things are only temporary. People often get stressed out because they feel like a certain action or situation will define them forever. Most things are usually temporary and should be seen as such.

Try deep breathing exercises in order to reduce stress. Take one deep breath in and hold it for 3 seconds, then exhale as slowly as possible. Do this several times until you feel yourself starting to calm down. Breathing is one of the easiest ways we have to naturally calm ourselves.

Lots of different things in this world will cause you to feel stress. By using the tips from the above article, you will have an understanding on how to better cope with stress in a positive way, which can lead to a less stressful life.