Do you feel empty, sad, misunderstood ? Learn about the symptoms, and reasons of depression in women—and how you can cope with it. The 11 most common symptoms that are experienced by women during depression , and what are the quick fixes to come out of it.
Depression in Women
Women are about twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and the reason for this is our hormonal fluctuations , which become more prominent during childbirth or menopause. Also, women are more ruminating in nature and more invested emotionally in situations and relationships, which makes them more vulnerable to anxiety or depression .
It can impact any area of your life – including your physical health, social life, relationships, career, and your sense of self-worth. However, it’s important to know that you’re not alone and this is very common .
However , it requires you to take some action, before it becomes chronic. There are very simple ways to deal with it , when you are in the situation . Small things such as taking a short stroll , calling a loved one , playing with a child , simply moving around can completely change your mood, and make you better prepared, to handle the situation and help prevent it, from coming back.
11 most common Symptoms of Depression
The symptoms during depression, totally depends on the individual, and you may feel some, none or all of them. However, awareness is the most important tool we have, to deal with depression . Some of the symptoms include
- You feel very helpless and cynical about the situation , and believe that nothing you do,will improve the situation .
- You don’t enjoy your favorite activities and hobbies anymore
- You notice a decrease in your desire, to socialize with people anymore
- Sudden loss or gain in weight or an appetite change
- Improper sleep pattern- You feel lethargic and sleepy during the day and can’t sleep at night
- Feeling angry, irritable and restless.
- Feeling low on energy and experiencing fatigue all the time .
- Forgetting things and not being in the moment
- Increased or continuous body aches such as headaches or cramps.
- Extreme case may involve having suicidal thoughts
- You feel very guilty and unworthy all the time
Various Biological Reasons that Lead to Depression in Women
While there may be stress related depression linked to circumstantial problems or issues in one’s life. Women, on the other hand, go through various life stages and biological , hormonal and social changes that make them more vulnerable to depression. Some of the changes may include
Premenstrual problems. Hormonal fluctuations during the monthly cycle can cause some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as bloating, irritability, fatigue, and heightened emotions.
Pregnancy and infertility. During pregnancy , there are lot of hormonal changes, which may trigger depression, particularly in women who are already at high anxiety levels. Complicated pregnancies, involving miscarriage, unwanted pregnancy, or infertility can also trigger depression.
Postpartum depression. The term is often referred to as “baby blues” , which is very normal and tends to subside within a few weeks. This is also due to severe hormonal fluctuations in the body , post childbirth.
Menopause and perimenopause. Perimenopause is a stage leading to menopause, where the body goes through extreme fluctuations again .
Body image issues : This is mainly seen at Teens, during sexual development of puberty. This can also lead to life long body image issues and depression related to it .
Thyroid problems. If you have thyroid problems, you may be more susceptible to facing depression.
In addition , birth control pills, dieting , lifestyle changes may also lead to common symptoms as discussed above.
However , this is not to say , that women will be depressed through multiple stages of life and surrender. Instead, we need to be more aware, of the symptoms and causes. Once we know the culprit, we can stop internalizing the blame on ourselves, for being in the situation and we can focus better on methods, which will help us to overcome these feelings .
Anxiety or Depression ? How to identify
Most of the times, it is difficult to distinguish between the two and it requires medical help to identify the state. Common symptoms of anxiety include shortness of breath, sweaty palms, nervousness etc. Read more about : “Meditation wont reduce Anxiety “
How to cope with Depression
The moment you notice any signs of depression, these are the 5 quick fixes you need to do immediately, to move yourself, out of the downward spiral .
1. Move your body
Ok ! This may sound like the last thing you want to do, after all that fatigue of emotions, that has set in. But trust me, I am not talking about exercise here. To the least , just get up and shake your body, move around fast , walk your dog, or just jump 20 times. Anything to get you moving . Not even 30 mins, just 10 mins at a stretch is enough. If you like to dance, nothing better than putting up nice music and grooving to it, like nobody’s watching.
2. Reach Out
Whenever I felt low , I had a friend, I would always reach out to. In my mind, I would wonder, if I am oversharing my toxic thoughts with the same person, and am I going to lose them . But whenever we would start talking , I realized that , she had lots to share too and she was going through the same emotions . A simple conversation, with her, would then become a 30 minutes chat, with a hearty laughter, and joking about ourselves and our overreactions to the situation ! Such is the power of conversations, with your loved and trusted ones . Believe in these conversations and don’t take them for granted.
Do remember, that it can be difficult to maintain a healthy perspective and sustain the effort required to beat depression, on your own. When you are depressed, you may want to socially withdraw and isolate yourself, but that will not help you one bit. So reach out to a trusted one, or may be a person who has been through similar situation.
Tip: Socialize even if you don’t feel like doing so, stay in touch with friends, try to help and support others( nothing feels more rewarding than doing this )
3. Support your Body and Mind
You need to do things that relax and energize you. It may be different for different people. Such as, it may be listening to music, having a Cold Coffee, spending time in nature, working out , reading a book, watching a movie, playing with your pet or just dressing up . Do more of what beats your blues ! I wouldn’t advice you to meditate or try deep breathing, if you are not already used to it. You are the best judge of choosing what is the best to rejuvenate you and release your happy hormones .
But do not forget to get proper eight hours of sleep. If your sleep is compromised, there are very low chances that you will feel better.
4. Block your negative thoughts
Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself and your anticipate the future. When these types of thoughts overwhelm you, it’s important to remember that, this is a symptom of your depression and these irrational, pessimistic attitudes aren’t realistic.
Also dwelling on and over thinking at such times , can be more harm than good, and may not provide you with any reflective answers. It is best to block these thoughts by
- Either thinking about something else and making yourself busy.
- Trusting that all emotions are temporary and this is a transitionary phase
- Blocking any negative self talk
- Procrastinate thinking in the whole situation
TIP: Simple exercise to deal with negative self talk- To question whether you would say the same negative things that to a friend , if she was seeking your help.
5. Ground yourself
Get some sun or stand on the ground ,bare feet while touching the earth. If you stay in high rise apartments , then visualize yourself , connected deep into the earths core , the GAYA. Close your eyes and release all your emotions to mother earth, a natural healer. If you spend 15 minutes doing this, I can guarantee you that you will come back more settled in your emotions.
For more on grounding techniques , Read Here : How to Ground yourself
If you’ve tried to incorporate any of these quick fixes and your symptoms haven’t gone away, see your doctor or schedule an appointment with a counselor or therapist. Do not take it lightly.
