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.