Depression is clinically referred to as major depressive disorder in the DSM-5. It is both a common and serious mood disorder whose symptoms could show up in different ways depending on the person. Sadness is an emotion that everyone experiences from time to time, but when you’re depressed, the feelings of sadness, apathy, or a general loss of interest are persistent. These heavy emotions can steal your spark and lower your quality of life.
It can be hard to recognize depression in yourself. Many people are skilled at ignoring their true feelings, pushing them away, and continuing to show up for life’s obligations. You may have an image in your mind of what depression looks like that doesn’t resonate with your experience. Many people think depression looks like a sad person who has no energy and is unable to function, but depression can present itself in many ways.
10 Signs You Might Be Depressed
1. You are disconnected from things that used to feel important.
Disconnection refers to no longer feeling connected to things that used to matter to you. Maybe you used to be excited to volunteer at a school, feel passionate about a project at work, or find joy through a hobby. If you’re depressed, you may still participate in these activities but feel out of touch with their purpose.
2. You are having trouble sleeping.
There are many ways that sleep problems can show up in depression. You may have trouble turning your mind off at night, leaving you unable to fall asleep. Similarly, you may be able to fall asleep but wake up repeatedly throughout the night. You might not link your sleep problems to depression because many people in this overworked society report and even glorify minimal sleep. Still, a chronic inability to get rest can be a sign of clinical depression.
3. You are masking your genuine emotions.
Masked emotions happen when you feel one thing on the inside but show the world something else. For example, you may feel exhausted or hopeless, but show up to work or school with a smile on your face. If you have masked depression, you may avoid showing your true emotions because you don’t want other people to worry, or you might not be ready to admit to yourself that you’re struggling.
4. You are experiencing unexplained chronic pain—migraines, aches, gastrointestinal issues, musculoskeletal aches, etc.
There are cultural differences in how people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds experience depression. Many cultures are more approving and supportive of somatic symptoms and physical pain over a depressed mood or other psychological symptoms. If you are experiencing chronic physical symptoms that aren’t explained by another medical condition, it could be how depression is manifesting in your body.
5. You are struggling to concentrate.
Concentration is defined as the ability to focus your attention or mental effort. Concentration is required for many aspects of day-to-day functioning, so struggles with concentrating could appear in various ways. Here are just a few examples:
- Forgetfulness - You have difficulty remembering what you did yesterday or need to do this week.
- Disorganization - You can’t keep details straight or manage your time.
- Brain fog - You can’t keep your thoughts straight.
- Restlessness - You can’t sit still or focus on one task for more than a short period.
When you’re depressed, your brain can have dysregulated amounts of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which are all needed for your brain to have the energy to focus.
6. Your appetite has changed.
Depression impacts your brain’s reward system, which can affect your appetite. You might not have the energy or interest to make meals or turn to food as a form of comfort. If you don’t realize your appetite changes are due to depression, you might think these changes to your food habits are either from stress or a busy schedule.
7. You think you don’t have worth.
Worthlessness or feelings of inadequacy are depressive symptoms. Examples of worthlessness could include thinking your friends and family are better off without you or ending a romantic relationship because you don’t believe you are good enough for the person.
8. You’re using other outlets to distract or numb yourself.
To distract yourself from the heavy emotions associated with depression, you might use unhelpful coping mechanisms as a way to numb or check out. It is common to see people use social media, video games, sex, substances, or work to cover up their genuine feelings. Distractions can feel less scary than confronting your struggle head-on.
9. You feel guilty about small mistakes.
Masked depression could lead you to experience excessive guilt about small mistakes. You might beat yourself up about arriving late to work or not knowing what to say to your kid who had a hard day at school. Depression can make you unable to tolerate any faults you perceive in yourself, which can leave you constantly feeling like you’ve done something wrong.
10. You are having more conflicts with people in your life.
Research shows that there are differences in how depression shows up in males versus females. Males are more likely to experience anger and irritability. This increased agitation could cause you to pick fights with co-workers or nag your partner, leading to increased conflicts in your relationships. At first glance, you might think these conflicts resulted from an anger issue, when the deeper reason could be that you’re depressed.
Why is it Hard to Admit You’re Struggling?
We don’t see signs of depression when we aren’t ready to.
We are often better at noticing struggles in those around us rather than in ourselves. Being unable to recognize your own battle with depression could be a protective mechanism that you use because asking for help is a scary and vulnerable thing. It could also happen as a result of downplaying your symptoms or not recognizing your struggle as depression because you don’t fit the depressed image you’ve created in your mind.
When we name something, we start to confront it. It can be scary to look your struggle in the face. Many people are afraid to process mental health struggles because they worry the feelings will get out of control. With proper support, you can work through depression in a safe environment that teaches you new, effective ways to overcome symptoms of depression.
We don’t want to worry or burden others with our mental health struggles.
Admitting you’re struggling means leaning on people, which is a vulnerable act. We might have internalized messages that needing help is a sign of weakness or makes us a burden. These narratives make vulnerability scary because they open us up to allow others to witness our messy parts.
Therapy for Depression
If you recognize yourself in some of these signs of depression, you don’t have to struggle alone. The first step can be the hardest, especially when you’ve been suffering in silence for a long time. It takes so much bravery to be honest with ourselves and admit that we need help.
Working with a therapist can be a supportive step toward healing. In therapy, you can process your emotions and learn new ways to cope with your experiences that move you toward change and growth.
Find a depression therapist in Seattle.
We have a team of therapists who are here to support and guide you through tough times. We offer free consultation calls where you can speak with a team member to get a feel for our clinicians' therapeutic styles and ask any questions you may have about starting therapy.
