Depression has become a true pandemic. In fact, it affects more than 350 million people in the world. In addition, it is known that in the United States alone there are currently more than 27 million who regularly consume medications for depression. It is obvious that if you suffer from severe depression it may be necessary to resort to psychotropic drugs, but we must keep in mind that this is not a long-term solution since it does not eliminate the root problem, it only reduces or hides it.
That is why it is so important to know what factors can worsen depression and cause a mild depressive condition to end in major depression. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that these are everyday habits that we can change.
- Get too stressed
Stress is harmful in every way and, contrary to popular belief, it not only causes anxiety but can also lead to depression. Stress causes an increase in cortisol, a hormone whose levels are unusually high in depressed people. This hormone causes irritability, damages memory and generates a feeling of fatigue and tiredness, typical symptoms of depression.
People with depression often have problems sleeping; it is quite common for them to wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to fall asleep. However, it has also been noted that people who suffer from sleep disorders, such as insomnia, are more susceptible to developing depression. Part of the answer lies in melatonin, a hormone that regulates our sleep cycles and that is also altered during depressive symptoms. In fact, it was recently discovered that some symptoms of depression subside when people take melatonin.
- Eat an inadequate diet
The foods we eat as part of our daily diet affect our metabolism and, in the long run, can intensify certain emotional states. In fact, it has been shown that foods containing refined sugar, simple carbohydrates and hydrogenated fats can exacerbate depression, also causing irritability and tiredness.
- Associate with negative people
One of the most important steps to getting out of depression is learning to restructure negative thoughts. That is, change those beliefs that make you feel bad and affect your self-esteem for more positive ideas. However, if you surround yourself with toxic and negative people, it will be very difficult for you to achieve this. Toxic people are those who always complain about everything, who do not want to take responsibility for their actions and who think that most things in this world are not worth it. Obviously, these relationships only serve to confirm your beliefs but do not help you get out of the pit of depression.
Social networks make us feel accompanied but in reality they are a double-edged sword. In fact, new studies are increasingly showing the dangers of sites like Facebook since they can increase the risk of social isolation and in a person with self-esteem problems, this could trigger depression or intensify the symptoms. It has also been noticed that on social networks we tend to make more comparisons and come out badly from them, thinking that others are happier and that we lead a much more miserable, boring and meaningless life.
