Common Behaviors that People with Depression Exhibit

Depression affects many of us around the globe. According to the World Health Organization, 300 million people of all ages battle with it. Depression is a sneaky mental disorder; it's difficult to catch during the early stages. Most of us realize we have depression when we're deep in the grips of it. Those with this mental disorder feel hopeless, empty, or sad, fatigued, irritable, and restless. Depression not only takes your motivation away, but it can also cause problems with concentration and decision-making. Those of us with this disorder can act in ways that will worsen the situation. Here's a list of 10 things depression makes you do: 1. Isolating yourself: Individuals with depression isolate themselves for different reasons. Some will keep to themselves because they feel overwhelmed by socializing, and others believe it's better to be alone. In other cases, the person may feel so much self-hatred that they prefer not to interact with people. Those with severe depression may even stay in their house for weeks. 2. Being disorganized: Depression leaves you feeling exhausted, so cleaning your room or home becomes an endeavor. Dirty dishes and clothes start piling up while your garbage overflows the trash can. It becomes an even bigger physical challenge to walk around your room because everything is on the floor. Living in a cluttered place leaves you feeling uneasy, but the lack of energy doesn't help. 3. Poor hygiene: Depression zaps all your energy. It's difficult enough to get out of bed, so showering, brushing your teeth, washing your hair, and taking care of your body goes out the window. Those without depression may see this behavior as lazy, but the truth is, showering or changing into clean clothes can be exhausting and painful at times. 4. Struggling with sleep: Depression affects your sleeping schedule. Some of you may stay up and sleep very little. It keeps you up with your intrusive, unwanted thoughts. These may end up making you feel anxious all through the night. In other cases, some of you will sleep excessively and still feel unrested. 5. Catastrophizing every situation: Depression plays tricks on your mind, making you believe negative things. It can get to a point where you're constantly looking out for bad things to reassure your pessimistic thinking. Every time something bad happens, you use it as evidence to prove how bad life is. This slippery slope makes it difficult to see life under a brighter light. 6. Terrible eating habits: Those with depression will either eat too much or hardly anything at all. Some of you may find yourself in the kitchen eating everything in sight, trying to eat away the emptiness or sadness you're feeling, while others don't have an appetite and may even feel disgusted by food. In other cases, some of you may feel so exhausted that the thought of preparing a meal is overwhelming. 7. Lack of motivation: Depression steals your interests and desires right from under you. Your favorite pastimes and hobbies no longer satisfy you. Slowly, you find yourself feeling dead and numb inside. If you aren't careful, you'll end up staying in bed all day. 8. Evading your problems: Depression by itself is overwhelming. You can feel devastated and out of control most days, so trying to face situations and problems head-on is difficult enough. Instead, you ignore or set the problem aside, and this in turn can bring trouble because it will continue to pile up. 9. Feeling guilty and self-hatred: If you allow depression to take over your thoughts, then you'll most likely feel self-hatred. You'll continue to talk down to yourself, and this often leads to the development of self-esteem issues along with poor self-image. Eventually, you'll believe you aren't worth it anymore. Some people with this mental disorder can even feel guilt by thinking all their problems are their fault. 10. Living in fear: People with depression fear that terrible things will happen to them. In severe cases, some of you will sabotage a good situation, believing that it will turn bad. Other times, individuals will reject opportunities and stop pursuing their dreams. It's a twisted way to protect yourself because this prevents you from living and achieving amazing things. Depression affects us in different ways. The list mentioned in this video contains some of the common behaviors those with the disorder have. Do you agree with these points? What other behaviors have you noticed? Let us know in the comment section below.