Why Is My Depression Getting Worse? 5 Alarming Bad Habits

Is your depression getting worse lately? If in spite of doing all the things you need to do, your depressive thoughts are overpowering you, you might want to take a look at your daily habits.

We know that to tell someone who is suffering from depression, that their habits are the contributing factors to their depression getting worse, might feel like shaming them for their condition. But that is not what we mean to do.

We are simply trying to bring your focus to some activities that might be keeping you stuck in a depressive mood so that you can be more aware of what’s working and what’s going against you in your quest to live your best life.

Read: 4 Causes Of Depression

What Is Depression? 

Depression is a common yet serious mental health disorder that adversely impacts how we feel, the way we process our thoughts, and how we act. A persistent feeling of sadness with a loss of interest in everyday activities are symptoms of major depressive disorder.

Depression can develop owing to various reasons that include genetics, unfavorable social environment, trauma, abuse, regular stress (mental and physical), or even any adverse childhood experience.

Only a mental health expert can diagnose and identify the reasons for your depressive disorder. While you need a proper treatment plan to counter this mood disorder, there are some habits that can have a significant impact on your condition and lead to your depression getting worse.

Do you want to know what are the most common things that make depression worse? Dig in!

Why Is My Depression Getting Worse?

Here is the list of the most common habits that make depression worse:

 1. You Often Avoid Daylight

Missing the sun on a regular basis is making your depression worse. We need a good load of Vit-D daily to boost our moods. We absorb Vitamine D from the sun which spikes our happy hormones and enhances our overall well-being.

It can be difficult to push yourself out of the bed and get some sun when the dark clouds of depression are looming over your mind. But remember that if you want to climb out of this pit of depression, you need to make some hard choices. 

Read: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): How Seasons Can Affect Our Mood And Life

2. Irregular Sleeping Habits

Irregular sleeping pattern is another reason for your depression getting worse. This is a vicious cycle that you need to break with your sheer determination. Depression can cause our sleep schedule to go haywire, keeping us awake at night, and groggy during the day.

It’s also not uncommon for people with depression to feel the weight of the world on their shoulders that they try to dodge by sleeping through the day.

But unfortunately both undersleeping and oversleeping can be detrimental to your mood and your mental health.

When depression is messing with your sleep and your willingness to face the world, you have to resolutely choose a self-care to-do list and a proper sleep schedule should come at the top.

Things That Might Help To Curb Your Irregular Sleeping Habit:

• Avoid caffeine
• Go to bed at the same time every day
• Use an alarm clock to get up on time
• Plan some fun activities to do in the morning
• Practice yoga or meditation
• Consult a mental health care provider for better sleeping habits

3. Isolation And Avoiding Social Interactions

People struggling with depression often isolate themselves from their loved ones and completely avoid any kind of social interaction. They might feel that they are a burden to others, unnecessarily occupying their time, or sometimes they just do not feel the urge to talk to anyone.

But this self-imposed isolation is one of the reasons for your depression getting worse. We are social beings and some amount of social contact is necessary for us to feel good about ourselves.

If you’re still struggling, you might try out the following:

• Make phone calls
• Text your friends
• Join a local peer support group
• Volunteer for your community

4. Eating Junk Food

Sometimes, when everything seems hopeless, comfort eating provides the solace that you are looking for. It’s not unnatural to crave sugary stuff and other junk food with high saturated fat, during such times.

However, eating your feelings is not the right way and this very habit is one of the reasons for your depression getting worse. You have to make yourself opt for a balanced and healthy diet if you want to feel better.

5. Ignoring Personal Hygiene

When you are having a depressive episode, you might feel it’s pointless to take care of your personal hygiene. You might fail to get yourself under the shower or even in a tub. You might skip brushing your teeth or doing your hair. Dishes on the sink might pile up and so do clothes in the laundry.

Yes, it can feel exhausting to do those things, but you have to remember how clean clothes, neatly made hair, and good personal hygiene make you feel. When you take care of your basic hygiene it has a positive effect on your mood.

On the same line, if you continue to ignore your body and your environment, it will have an adverse effect on your mental health, prolonging the depressive feelings of hopelessness.

Read: Depression Is Your Avatar

Take Baby Steps 

As a prelude to walking away from your depressive mood disorder, you can just take one day at a time. If all these habits are overwhelming for you right now, make a list, and accomplish your tasks one by one.

Remember that help is always available and you do not have to do this alone. You can talk to a friend or family member, join a support group, or seek medical assistance from a mental health professional.

It’s also okay if you fall back into your old habits sometimes. Just be gentle with yourself and bring yourself back on the path to healing.

So that was our list of bad habits of people with depression. Let us know your thoughts on this by commenting down below.

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