Depression has become a common mental disorder due to a lot of factors.

We are living in a society where uniqueness is treated as taboo and everyone wants you to fit in a perceived ideal image. But the point is, we are all unique. When you find it very hard to fit in, you will feel stress, and stress for a long duration results in depression.

Do you know these stats?

• 264 million people are affected by depression worldwide.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of deaths in 15-29-year-olds.
• 76% to 85% of people in low- and middle-income countries receive no treatment for their disorder.

— Source: WHO

Before we dive into the article, I would like to share two instances with you.

Two Incidents with A Life Lesson

Incident 1: I started writing this article yesterday but stopped as I thought I might not deliver the best in such a short time.

And the moment I started writing the article, I received the below message in one WhatsApp group.

Incident 2: The moment I restarted writing the article today, I received the below image with the stats of the effects of the pandemic on teen mental health

I felt it would be better if I share these incidents with you. And I will connect the reason for sharing at the end of this article.

The irony is, mental health is one of the most important subjects to learn. But we aren’t taught about it in schools. And some learn the hard way from the experiences.

And I am intended to throw some light on this subject as you might also be suffering from depression but not aware of it.

First of all, I declare that I am not a mental health expert, but someone came out of it. Yes, I got to know about it the moment I started researching on the subject more.

If you are looking for a simpler option, you can watch the video below. But I recommend staying till the end of this blog post.

What is Depression?

Depression is a common illness worldwide that affects the way think, feel, and act negatively. It may become a serious health condition causing the affected person to suffer greatly. It also leads to functioning poorly at school, work and in the family. It can also lead to suicide at worst.

Finding the cause helps you in avoiding them at the max for your mental peace. So, let’s dive deep into them.

Causes of Depression

Here are some of the causes of depression that I noticed in my life.

• Family history: The environment at home and history of mental related issues. You have to consider this as the lifestyle of everyone in the family will be almost the same.
• Childhood trauma: Some childhood incidents will have an everlasting impression on you that triggers fear in some situations.
• Low self-esteem: Many of us are in a constant battle of proving we are better. Sometimes, you fail to prove it, and you start having a low self-image which leads to stress.
• Stressful events like loss of loved ones or financial problems: I don’t want to go into this more, as it is self-explanatory.

Types of Depression

• Major Depressive Disorder: By looking at the name, we can understand that it is a severe form of depression where you have persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. Also, they won’t go away on their own. You can diagnose it by tacking some behaviours of a person for two weeks.
• Persistent Depressive Disorder: It is a chronic form of depression. You can diagnose it by looking for the symptoms, which must last for at least two years. It can affect you more because of the long durations.

When I analysed it, I have PDD, but I was not aware of it. It happens when you get used to the stress in your life.

We now know the causes and types of depression, but it is crucial to know its symptoms. We are going to focus on it in the next section.

Main Symptoms of Depression

• Mood: Anger, Aggressiveness, Restlessness
• Emotional: Feeling empty and sad
• Behaviour: Loss of interest, feeling tired easily, suicidal thoughts
• Cognitive Abilities: inability to concentrate, difficulty completing the tasks
• Physical Wellbeing: weight loss or weight gain.

I have added the info of causes and symptoms that I noticed in my life. But you must be thinking about how I can be depressed. Yes, I was so depressed in life, but I observed my blessings. Also few of my choices helped me to come out of it. So, let’s go to the final section of the article, the solutions.

What Worked for Me to Come Out of Depression

• Association: People you associate with can either make you or break you. If the people you surround yourself with are also complaining or not empathetic, you’ll feel even more depressed. But, if you stay in a group of people who constantly works on uplifting each other, you take positive energy from them, and your depression fades away slowly. I got an uplifting association of friends due to being in network marketing. 
• Finding LookAlike in Successful Persons: We are animals of connection. And you feel more connected to the people who are like you. Your natural tendency is to look at people who are suffering from similar problems to feel better. But it is a pseudo solution. Instead, find people who had the same or even big challenges in life but became successful in life. It will give you hope. And hope is a great feeling that is responsible for the growth of everyone.
• Surroundings matter: When I started to be in the place where my presence is valued, I started feeling better. So never be in a place that triggers negative emotions and cost you your mental peace.
• Every Problem brings a great reward from it: Our brain is so powerful that it magnifies anything that we focus on. But the tricky part is, your mind, when untrained, always focus on the problems. So it misses out on the rewards associate with overcoming them. But when you know the reward associated with overcoming your challenges and shift your focus to it, you’ll no longer feel depressed. And you will feel happy for having them as your story gives hope to people with similar challenges.

Concluding Thoughts

Do you still remember the two incidents I mentioned at the beginning of the article?

I intend to always focus on the root cause, but I was not aware of the root cause of depression. But the updates from my friend made me realise the childhood patterns are one of the main reasons behind depression. But can you rely on the thoughts of a young kid to take your decisions?

Then understand if those fears due to incidents in childhood are correct or not. It will help you in not giving energy to those limiting beliefs. And you can come out of them.

I hope my article is making sense to you. Correct me if I am wrong by commenting below, and I would love to read your thoughts.