10 things depression makes you experience that no one talks about

Depression doesn't mean you're feeling sad. In fact, living with this mental illness can significantly alter your life. Here's how.

One of the most common words used in day-to-day conversations is depression. People often talk about how someone has been feeling depressed. Ever since Bollywood actors like Deepika Padukone have spoken up about depression, it is no longer treated with the same stigma and indifference.

Despite all this awareness about depression, it always bothers me how so many of my friends and acquaintances, who are otherwise smart, well read and highly educated people, are so clueless about how living with depression can significantly affect one’s day-to-day life. ‘Just stop being sad, yaar. You have nothing to be sad about,’ or ‘Snap out of it’ are very common phrases they use. These are the things no one told you about depression.

However, being depressed has nothing to do with being sad. These are the ten things a patient living with moderate to chronic depression experiences on a daily basis while struggling to lead a normal life.

1. Your personal hygiene is no longer a priority

When you’re depressed, you no longer function like you used to. You will find yourself putting off taking a bath, making your bed, keeping your house clean or even brushing your teeth on some days. Your self-esteem hits an all-time low. Every time you see your reflection in the mirror, all you can see are your flaws and shortcomings.

2. You feel guilty all the time

When you’re depressed, you tend to be very hard on yourself.  You feel like you’re constantly letting down your loved ones and beat yourself up for having a condition you just can’t control.

3. Even simple tasks make you feel exhausted and overwhelmed

Making yourself a cup of tea can seem like a gigantic task. You find that you take much longer to complete simple steps and get overwhelmed easily. You’re unable to concentrate on work or studies and constantly feel like your batteries need to be recharged despite taking long breaks.

4. Physical symptoms

A common misconception is that depression cannot affect you physically. However, that is far from the truth. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2004 has confirmed that the physical symptoms of depression include chronic joint pain, limb pain, back pain, chest pains, gastrointestinal problems, fatigue and sleep disturbances [1].

5. Feeling hollow or empty

Not everyone who is depressed spends the entire day crying into a pillow or just feeling sad. Chronic depression acts a lot like a Dementor (from Harry Potter) and leaves you feeling completely hollow or empty on the inside.

6. You will feel irritable

Being irritable and grumpy is a symptom of depression that is often ignored. You will find yourself snapping and losing your temper over the smallest triggers. Due to lack of awareness about this symptom of depression, you will be labelled as ‘moody’ or’ unstable.’

7. Lying awake in bed all night long

Depression causes a lot of sleep disturbances. You might feel tired and exhausted after surviving yet another day but despite that, you won’t get any sleep. On the other hand, if you’re oversleeping it could be a sign of depression.

8. Isolation

When you’re living with depression, you are likely to lose friends. Not everyone will understand what you’re going through or have the inclination to provide any support. Another major side-effect of depression is that you lose interest in socialising and being around people. You feel like no one can understand you and you start isolating yourself by spending far too much time in your room alone. Consciously make the effort to reach out to a few people and to build a strong support system.

9. You might experience nightmares

Finnish researchers found a link between depression and nightmares as they observed that depressed individuals were far more prone to nightmares as compared to healthy people. Frequent nightmares could also be a sign of post stress trauma disorder (PTSD).

10. You will be called lazy

When you’re struggling to deal with depression, your loved ones will call you lazy and even blame you for not putting in enough effort. However, it is important for you to remember that just like you would get a viral fever or other physical ailment treated by a doctor, depression can also be treated with the right psychiatrist or psychologist. 

Games reviews roundup: ReCore; Axiom Verge; Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

A new world proves less than brave, while a blast from the past offers retro thrills and an RPG classic is probably one for the fans

1) ReCore

Xbox One, PC, Microsoft Home Studios, cert: N/A

★★★

A strong opening hook promises much for ReCore but – proving again that a decent idea must translate into actual gameplay – fails to deliver more than a forgettable game. Here, the planet of Far Eden was supposed to be humanity’s new home, but when protagonist Joule arrives she finds the terraforming process has stalled. Instead of a lush paradise, Far Eden is a barren desert populated by hostile machines. She sets out with Mack, her robot dog, to find out what went wrong and locate her missing father. So far, so good.

ReCore’s platforming gameplay harkens back to the GameCube era. Joule fights with a rifle and grappling hook to weaken enemy robots before extracting their cores in fast-paced combat that focuses on combos. But beyond those basics, there’s little left in ReCore except for padding and bugs – and lots of them. The game, with its unjustifiable loading times and audio problems, is in dire need of patching. A shame, because with more development and content, ReCore could have been a must-have instead of another disappointment.

2) Axion Verge

Wii U, Thomas Happ Games, cert: 12
★★★★

Usually when a modern title has a retro leaning, there is a good chance it will reference the brilliant colours and brisk gameplay forged by Japanese studios through the 1980s and 90s. Axiom Verge, though, revisits a distinct aesthetic and gameplay tone left fallow by many practitioners of modern retro-mining. Now available for Wii U, in both style and mechanics this 2D platform shooter conjures a sense of playing on machines like the Commodore 64 and Amiga 500. As such, while it is unashamedly an arcade-inspired action title, it is grittier, and less frantic than its contemporaries.

It also has considered level design, a captivating atmosphere, and an inspired range of weapons, which engender much gameplay variety while exploring its labyrinthine environments. The result is a game that is both familiar and unusual, because, while Axiom Verge is ultimately conventional within the platform-shooter genre, its form is one all too rarely invoked today.

3) Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12
★★★

The seventh instalment in one of Japan’s best-loved RPG series centres around grand themes, but unfortunately this handheld remake of the 2000 PlayStationoriginal shows its age. Here, Estard Island sits alone in the ocean – though it wasn’t always so – and, playing as a young hero from a fishing village, gamers are drawn into the past, undoing historic cataclysms to repopulate the future and literally rebuild the world.

But the opening is interminably slow, with hours of preamble before even simple combat is introduced. When it is, it’s as rote, unchallenging turn-based battles. Classes and skills improve variety, but not until they’re introduced around the 20-hour mark.

Yet despite this, Dragon Quest VII is strangely compulsive; its charming characters, wonderful designs, and engaging story draw you into its world. To fans of the series, the stagnation in gameplay mechanics is part of the appeal – Dragon Quest is a rock in uncertain times, and this is a fine port of a classic entry point – but newcomers will find everything frustratingly sluggish.

Football Manager 2017 Release date - and how tio get it two weeks earlier

Popular game Football Manager 2017 will be released in less than three months – meaning Villa fans who can’t wait to get the side back in the Premier League can speed the process up.

The popular game will arrive in stores on Friday 4 November, but fans who pre-order can get a sneak peek at the game two weeks before it is officially launched.

So fans will soon be able to learn what game-makers think new signings Gollini, Tshibola, Jedinak and McCormack.

Fans who pre-order Football Manager 2017 from participating retailers online will also be able to play the fully playable Beta version of the game at least two weeks before launch.

Alongside the release date announcement, the game’s creators SI Games have also revealed the new colour scheme and cover art for the game.

The Details

The game will begin from the 2016/17 season and features top Premier League managers including Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte at their respective new clubs.

Football Manager features full staff and player squads in more than 50 world leagues, including England’s Premier League, Football League and National divisions.

The game is famous for its large fan community, large player database and simple interface. In the past the game’s extensive scouting systems and accurate player statistics have been used by professional clubs including Everton, to improve their scouting network.

Football Manager games have also correctly identified a number of real-life superstars from an early age. ‘Wonderkids’ who originally found fame include Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Less said about Cerno Samba and Jonas Lunden.

What else is new!

ans who purchase the new game will also receive a free copy of Football Manager Touch 2017, which is the ‘streamlined, transfers and tactics version’ of the main game.

The Touch edition will also be available as a standalone release from the same day and those who pre-order will have complimentary access to additional downloadable content, including ‘board over-ride’, ‘no firing,’ ‘all job applications,’ ‘national management’ and three brand new challenges to play in the ‘challenge’ game mode.

There will be a host of new features ahead of the Beta launch so stay tuned for further updates, or visit www.footballmanager.com for all the latest information where you will also find out more on the mobile game over the coming weeks.

Want to live a long life? Keep your family closer to you

Senior citizens who share an intimate bond with family members tend to live longer than those who have just friends around them, claims a new study.

“We found that older individuals who had more family in their network, as well as older people who were closer with their family were less likely to die,” said James Iveniuk, the lead author of the study.

“No such associations were observed for number of or closeness to friends,” Iveniuk, who is also a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, added.

The study was presented at the 111th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA) organised from August 20-23, in Seattle, Washington.

The researchers found that older adults who reported feeling “extremely close” on average to the non-spousal family members had about a 6% risk of mortality within the next five years, compared to approximately a 14% risk of mortality among those who reported feeling “not very close” to the family members.

Furthermore, the study found that respondents who listed more non-spousal family members in their network — irrespective of closeness — had lower odds of death compared to those who listed fewer family members.

“Regardless of the emotional content of a connection, simply having a social relationship with another person may have benefits for longevity,” Iveniuk said.

Iveniuk said he was surprised that feeling closer to one’s family members and having more relatives as confidants decreased the risk of death for older adults but that the same was not true of relationships with friends.

Iveniuk noted his findings underscore the substantial importance of familial relationships for longevity.

TV Beauties that rocked the bikini

It might be monsoons right now but a bevy of beauties from TV have raised temperatures. Check them out!

Not long ago, TV actresses preferred to dress by their onscreen image. However, that is slowly changing and here is proof. In the past six months, we have seen a number of our TV divas in bikinis. The gals have flaunted their hot bodies/vacation pictures with elan. Check out these beauteous babes and tell us whom you found the sexiest!

Sonarika Bhadoria
The lady has moved on from TV to films down South but people still identify her as Parvati. When she posted a snap in a red bikini top and floral sarong chilling on the pristine beaches on the Maldives, she faced a lot of hate mail. People were aghast at how a ‘divine figure’ could pose in a swimsuit. The lady replied them tersely and rightly so.

Mouni Roy
She has millions of followers on Instagram courtesy her gorgeous pictures with her style game bang on. A few days after Sonarika’s controversy, Mouni posted snaps of her Goa holiday. The lady looks cute in the swimsuit that she has matched with a friend. Talk about co-ordination!

Nia Sharma
Voted as one of the sexiest Asian Women on the planet by her followers, Nia Sharma is a total stunner. The lady is not afraid to flaunt her hot body in the most risky outfits. On her recent Dubai break, she posed in a hot pink Victoria’s Secrets bikini and a pale powder blue one-piece swimsuit. Sassy, confident and stylish, Nia rocked the bikini and how!

Jasmin Bhasin
Now, this swimsuit outing really surprised us. We know Jasmin as the drop dead gorgeous Twinkle from Tashan E Ishq but the gal made our jaws drop with her stunning snaps from her Bali holiday. She has flaunted the bikini (black, blue and pink) with aplomb and posted some truly aesthetic and fun pictures. Way to go, girl!

Natasa Stankovic
Remember Natasa Stankovic from Bigg Boss? The Serbian beauty was also seen in the video DJ Wale Babu. The lovely gal has posted bikini pictures from a lovely holiday in Greece and we are totally flat. With the lovely tresses, sun-kissed body and happy smile, she is looking every inch a tropical diva.

Anita Hassanandani
If it’s Maldives, there has to be a bikini. This is the mantra Anita Hassanandani swears by. Check out this bikini picture with her cute husband in Prisma. We were floored in her cute pink avatar in her Bali vacay but this one’s hotter.

Heath Ledger's father reveals his son's tragic last words

When Heath Ledger died in 2008, just months before the world got to see his sneering, paint smeared face in the role that would define him, the world was left in mourning. Now, 8 years after his tragic passing due to an accidental overdose or prescription drugs, Ledger’s father Kim spoke about his son’s struggles and the last words he said to his sister.

“It was totally his fault. It was no one else’s. He reached for them. He put them in his system. You can’t blame anyone else in that situation,” Kim told Daily Mail Australia. “That’s hard to accept because I loved him so much and was so proud of him.”

Ledger was found in his New York apartment after having wrapped shooting on The Dark Knight, the film that would earn him his posthumous Oscar for his performance as The Joker. He was in the middle of production on Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the strenuous shooting schedule leaving him drained.

“There’s so much pressure on them to perform so even though your body is telling you that it’s not good and needs time, it’s like ‘just take these painkillers and keep going,’” Kim said. “That was the case with Heath. He had to be back on set to finish (the next day). They were doing night shoots in the freezing cold and he had a weak chest anyway. He’d caught this (cough) and just couldn’t shake it but he thought he had to because he wanted to get the movie done.”

Kim said that Ledger’s sister spoke to Heath the night before and warned him not to mix drugs. “He said, ‘Katie, Katie, I’m fine. I know what I’m doing.’ He would have had no idea,” said Kim.

5 Ways to Spend the Monsoon in Mumbai

The rain Gods have finally bestowed Mumbai with their blessings, rescuing us from its rather long sweltering summer heat. Here’s a list of places to enjoy Mumbai monsoon to the fullest.

1. Take a stroll down Marine Drive

Dark clouds looming over, feisty waves splashing on the shore and cool sea breeze makes Marine Drive an experience that will make you jump with joy like a child. Take a leisurely walk along the promenade and sample street eats such as pani puri, bhel puri and sev puri.

2. Grab a cup of chai at Prithvi Theatre coffee shop

Prithvi theatre is one of the most popular hangout for theatre enthusiasts. Listen to the sound of raindrops pattering on the cafe’s roof or lose yourself in a bookwhile sipping on your coffee.

3. A ferry ride from Gateway of India

Imagine sailing through gusting winds and mild drizzle that transforms the whole atmosphere seem like the set of a Bollywood romantic movie. Hop to one of the ferries that take travellers round the harbour.

4. Drive down to Tiger hill in Lonavala

Take the Mumbai-Pune expressway and zoom to the tiger hill. The hill has become a cool place to hangout almost throughout the year. But the beauty of the place is magnified when the rain gods bestow their blessings.

5. Chill out on the ruins of the Fort near Bandra Bandstand

The whole ambience of the bandra bandstand changes after monsoon showers. The bandstand offers view of the vast expanse of the Arabian sea. You can relax on the ruins of the Bandra fort and get a fantastic view of the sea and the city.