Have you been googling, “What are signs of a depressive episode?”
Do you feel very sad or down lately?
Want to learn how to cope when having a depressive episode?
A depressive episode can happen to many people for various reasons. According to research by National Mental Health Institute in 2017, about 17.3 millions adults in the US experienced at least one major depressive episode. For example, for people with Major depressive disorder (MDD), some may have a single depressive episode, while others may experience it throughout their life. Another example is, people with Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) go through major depressive episodes chronically or persistently. Those with personality disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can go through episodes of intense depression as well.
Signs of a Depressive Episode
As SAMHSA says, someone with depression should keep track of depression triggers and their daily mood. By doing so, they will be able to spot when they start feeling a shift in their days. For example, Mabel is a grad student in her twenties. She is under immense stress but feels even worse during semester finals week. Mabel also thinks she might experience seasonal affective disorder during the colder months, which is happening at the same time as her tests.
At this point, Mabel knows that these periods trigger her depression and sadness. She journals about her mood and reports feeling more depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms can include things like:
Feeling sad, lonely, helpless, hopeless, and empty
Changing sleeping or eating habits (too much or too little)
Loss of joy or interest in activities you once loved doing
Mabel starts feeling sadder when her finals come, becoming less interested in her hobbies, and lacking energy. She is aware of these changes and notices these signs of a depressive episode is appearing in her life.
Different Types of Depression
There are different types of depression. Namely,
Major depressive disorder (MDD), or simply major depression, is a common condition that many people experience. In a typical major depressive episode, you may have depressive symptoms most of the day everyday.
A depressive episode in bipolar disorder may have the same symptoms as in major depressive disorder; however, a bipolar disorder must include at least one episode of mania or hypomania.
Persistent depressive disorder (PDD), or dysthymia, or chronic depression, is depression that lasts for at least two years. It may not feel as intense as in major depressive disorder, but its long-term nature could affect people’s life and relationships as well.
Seasonal depression, or seasonal affective disorder is depression in certain seasons, particularly in winter time.
Adjustment disorder with depressed mood is depression usually triggered by certain events or situations. Major stressors could include loss and grief, illness, divorce, unemployment, abuse, and trauma.
Peripartum or postpartum depression is a depressive episode women experience in the weeks or months after childbirth.
How to Cope with a Depressive Episode
Depression is very common and might feel overwhelming to deal with. Remember that you are more capable than you might even think in the tough times! You can use some of these ways to cope with a depressive episode appearing in your life. If you are interested in learning more, keep reading!
1. Accept your Depressive Episode
Acceptance of your depression may be the first step towards healing and getting better. Indeed, you may want to curse your genes of depression, or resist all your stress in life. It is also part of human nature to be in denial of a negative event. However, the denial instinct does not help with your depressive episode. Simply put, when you keep asking, “Why me?” or “This is not fair”, you could be in a victim mentality and stop fighting for yourself.
On the other hand, acceptance helps you to get ready to actively seek help. What is acceptance though? It is worth noting that acceptance does not mean you have to like or approve your depression. Acceptance is acknowledgement of the existence of reality non-judgmentally. In other words, you come to terms with the fact of your condition called a depressive episode and it needs treatment. When you can accept the existence of your depression, it can liberate you from resistance. That is, it can bring more peace to you and help to open your mind to different ways of recovery, such as medications and therapy.
2. Identify Triggers and Signs of your Depressive Episode
Stress in general could trigger a depressive episode. In particular, if you have depression, you might want to watch closely those life stressors. Examples of such stress could include death of a loved one, divorce, separation, and breakup of a relationship, job loss, illness, financial problems, and life transition such as retirement.
When you have better awareness of such triggers, chances are you could spot early warning signs of a depressive episode. By tracking your mood and symptoms, it is more likely that you can intervene early and prevent a full-blown depression from happening.
3. Have a Daily Activity Schedule
As SAMHSA suggests, people with depression can benefit from setting realistic and manageable goals each day, that is, create a daily activity schedule. When people feel depressed, they may find it hard to do parts of their daily routines and basic tasks. Setting simple goals like getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, washing your face, etc., can help you promote feelings of accomplishment in your days.
To better keep track of your progress, you can make a list of the goals you complete each day. Don’t forget to reward yourself when you accomplish even the small goals. Practice self-compassion and love on days when you don’t accomplish as much as you wish. Sometimes, all you might do in a day might not seem like a lot. Just be proud of yourself regardless. As mentioned before, depression can be challenging, and anyone experiencing it is incredibly strong.
4. Reframe your Negative Thoughts
When you have a depressive episode, it is common to have some negative thoughts about yourself, others, and the world. For instance, “I am a loser”; “No one cares about me”; “I am just a burden to others”. Such negative thoughts can easily feed your depressive mood. On the contrary, when your thoughts are more objective and rational, your mood could change accordingly.
What is reframing negative thoughts? “Reframing” is a technique used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify automatic negative thoughts (ANTS) and replace them with more balanced thoughts. When you reframe a negative thought with an alternative, you can begin to break the depressive thought cycle. Steps of thought reframing could include:
A). Recognize your automatic negative thoughts (ANTS)
Typical cognitive distortions, or thought patterns could make you stuck in depressive mood. For instance,
Emotional reasoning (“I feel sad, then the whole world is just a sad place”);
Jumping to a conclusion (“I failed in this relationship, therefore I must be a total failure”);
Black-or-White thinking (“I am either a straight A student, or a loser”)
B). Find evidence for and against your negative thoughts
Take out your thoughts and emotions for a second, and examine the actual facts of the situation. Ask yourself questions to challenge your negative thoughts. For example, “What is the evidence that I am a loser; what is the evidence that I am not a loser?”
C). Replace your negative thoughts with alternative objective thoughts.
Instead of saying “I failed in this relationship, therefore I must be a total failure”, change to “This relationship did not work out, but I learned from it and can try to make it work in my next relationship”. Instead of saying “I am either a straight A student, or a loser”, try “There is so much more between a straight A student and a loser. I have already done my best”.
5. Lean on Support System to Fight your Depressive Episode
Isolating yourself is a common way people cope with sadness. Being alone can help people, especially introverts, recharge and gain back energy. However, when you feel low, it can help to be around people who care about you and make you feel good about yourself.
Many times, it helps us feel seen and heard when we connect with people who have similar experiences as us. Talking with a friend who understands what depression can feel like and validates your emotions can benefit you. It can help you see that you are not alone and other people understand you in this world.
6. Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude can help you feel better when facing signs of a depressive episode. As mentioned in our article about gratitude, gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for what you have in your life. Expressing gratitude can help to increase feelings of positivity and happiness.
Even for small things, expressing gratitude can help you appreciate yourself and days more. Try writing a gratitude letter! This letter allows you to express appreciation for someone in your life. You can write a letter to someone who makes you happy – in the letter you can feel happiness reminiscing on your favorite memories and moments together.
You can also write a letter of gratitude or self-compassion to yourself. Tell yourself why you are grateful for yourself: name 3 things you like about yourself, 2 things you are happy happened today, 1 person you make feel happy, etc.
7. Let it Out
Sometimes, you really just need a good cry. Also, crying is a healthy coping mechanism and necessary to release anxiety and irritability. Find a safe place where you can cry and tune into your emotions.
Listening to sad playlists or watching emotional movies can also helo you recognize your emotions and let out some tears.
8. Engage in Self-Care to Manage Depression
Especially after embracing and diving into your emotions, it is essential to be gentle and care for yourself. Do self-care and comfort yourself by treating yourself.
Self-care can look like anything you’d imagine! Some people like to do skincare as self-care. Other people enjoy indulging in hobbies or eating their favorite comfort food. Do whatever makes you feel good and safe!
Self-care may also be taking a mental health day. A mental health day is a day where you dedicate yourself to caring for your well-being. People work so hard and might experience burnout eventually if they are not careful.
Your mental health is the most important thing! You deserve to be kind to yourself and care for areas of your life that you might be neglecting. Taking care of your mental health is vital to living a healthy and happy life. Work and school take up much of our time and can drain us completely.
9. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be connecting with nature and meditate. Putting your phone down and connecting with nature can help you feel inspired and recharged. You can even try meditating when you are out and feeling peaceful. Meditation enables you to center yourself and feel at peace.
It is also mindful and makes you happy when you are being crafty and engaging in a creative medium. Journaling and writing poetry can help you express your emotions and put them into words. Even if you feel silly doing so, try writing your own poem! Even if you feel like you aren’t the best writer, who cares! You don’t have to be an expert at something to partake in a hobby or task.
Mindfulness can be to engage in many other activities that you enjoy. It can be drawing or painting artwork, dancing, gardening, walking outside, exercise, and listening to music. By doing these, you stay in the moment, are aware of where you are and what you are doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around you.
Remind Yourself That…
You can get through this! If you are experiencing signs of a depressive episode, you may have been through this before. You have survived 100% of your worst days and can do it again and again and again! Be kind to yourself, Aldo wedge your emotions, allow yourself to feel what you feel, care for yourself, and, ultimately, remind yourself that this too shall pass.
Therapist
If you face any feelings of depression, know that there is help out there. Our team at Mind Connections wants to support you! They can help you receive therapy, like CBT, that will help you manage and cope with depression. Therapy gives you a safe place to talk to a mental health professional who understands what you are going through, won’t judge you, and will give you tools to improve.
Our therapists can also help you find ways to manage stress and deal with anxiety. Call us now to learn more or book an appointment!
If you feel very depressed, suicidal, and need support, know that help is out there. Below are resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
1 thought on “Signs of a Depressive Episode and How to Cope”
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