How Depression Impacts Relationships
As a person that has been very open about the challenges of dealing with mental illnesses, I have not been very open about how these challenges impact our encounters with others. Our mental state heavily influences our everyday relationships with our families, our friends, co-workers, and potentially with romantic partners.
REALITY... Every person, at some point in their lives, gets depressed over a situation or a circumstance. It's when that state becomes a frequent occurrence; then, you should ask yourself, "Am I suffering from Depression?'.
FIRST, What is Depression?
Depression is a mental health disorder that is characterized by a consistently depressed mood and/or loss of interest in participating in engagements and activities, causing SIGNIFICANT impairment in how we handle our daily lives.
The possible causes of Depression include a combination of different factors; biological, psychological, and distresses due to life events. Research shows that these factors may cause changes in brain functioning and includes altered activity of specific neural circuits in the brain.
I was diagnosed with severe clinical Depression and Anxiety disorder over ten years ago, and honestly, over these years, my relationships had suffered a great deal. When my Depression went untreated and neglected is when I also suffered, it resulted in many missed opportunities, many relationships and partnerships were strained and some, even broken I view Depression as a thief, a manipulator, and a liar. The reason I say this is because Depression stole my joy for so many years, Depression manipulated me into believing I was unworthy of living a fruitful, prosperous, loving and beautiful life worth waking up to each day. Depression lied to me in so many situations; it made me believe I wasn't intelligent, and it made me think that I was unloving. This illness distorted my perception of the world in front of my eyes. It made me believe every negative thought was real and that every positive thought was a lie, so of course, good things, situations, and people were things that I sabotaged unconsciously. Depression can often feel like a black hole that you can't seem to pull yourself out of, and due to frequent dark thoughts and feelings, Depression acts like a vacuum, sucks the motivation from you, depletes your energy, and takes away your self-esteem. For you to have positive and healthy relationships, it is imperative to foster a healthy balance with your mood and thoughts. Depression makes it tough on your interactions because it continuously makes you focus on the negative, and that hinders growth in all relationships. But there are things that we can do to help ourselves when experiencing episodes:
It is always best to consult with a doctor about what you're experiencing.
Find things that ground you like taking in a deep breath,(focusing on your breathing) going for a walk, listening to the sounds of nature (rain, the ocean, birds chirping) and acknowledging your surroundings!
Be transparent to where YOU are most comfortable. Not everyone should know every single thing about what you're experiencing and listen to your gut when it comes to who you should share specific details with! Those who love and respect you will appreciate your honesty and give you the space that you need to get yourself together and find the support that you need!
DO NOT DISMISS YOURSELF! Acknowledge the NOW! Criticism, Self-Doubt, Unrealistic Expectations, and Disappointment foster when you're in a depressive state. I would say about 98% of the negative things you tell yourself during this time is untrue.
Lastly, be kind to yourself. Please speak to yourself as you would speak about a friend or someone you admire. Your relationships cannot flourish and will suffer if you deplete yourself.
It all starts with YOU! Help yourself when you are feeling empty, do not neglect and ignore your needs. You cannot pour into others if you have nothing left, and you will feel unwanted, used, abandoned, and unworthy if you continue to neglect yourself. We foster our best relationships when we are honest with ourselves and honest with those around us, and our relationships will continue to grow healthier even when we aren't in our best spaces because we took the time to take care of our beings unapologetically and honestly.
And like always, I leave you with LOVE and open arms, and if you are feeling abandoned, unworthy or helpless, please do not ever hesitate to reach out to me! I will help with every ounce of my being!
I hope this post can be helpful to you and if it was, please comment below or send a message my way!
"Here's to having the inner reflect on the outer and glowing from the inside out… infinitely"
DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional in the fields of the topics that I will be discussing on this site. This is my advice through trial, error, research, consultations, and personal experience. Always consult with a professional if you have any doubts or second thoughts about any information given.