Depression manifests in various forms and affects individuals differently. Many people with depression experience a loss of interest in previously fun or exciting activities, they feel a sense of hopelessness about the future, and often a sense of guilt or self hatred. What some people don’t realize about depression is that in its more advanced forms, depression can start to affect biological functioning, leading to insomnia, eating difficulties, severe fatigue, or an inability to get out of bed. Experiencing such a severe depressive episode can make you feel trapped and angry with yourself. When depression is really bad, just “snapping out of it” isn’t really an option, and gentler, compassionate approaches are necessary.

The concept of toxic positivity refers to a mindset which overemphasizes positivity to the exclusion of the more complex and challenging realities of life. This approach can be harmful as it leaves little room for you to be honest with yourself about the negative emotions you are experiencing. Everyone experiences negative emotions, and success in mental health does not mean eliminating these emotions, but learning to live with and acknowledge negativity when it comes up.

The Covid-19 pandemic has now lasted almost two whole years, and during that time it has had a huge impact on many areas of our lives. Many people have found their existing depression has gotten a lot worse over the pandemic, and other people have developed depression for the first time in their lives during Covid-19. In this article I’ll outline a couple of ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all and could contribute to worsening depression symptoms.

Major depressive disorder can be incredibly difficult to live with. If you have experienced depression yourself, then you have probably wondered what you can do to help alleviate it in your life. If you are struggling with major depressive disorder and you want to try to help your mental health without the support of medication, here are some ideas to help you get started.

If you’re suffering from depression, or you’re not sure whether what you are experiencing is depression or just a temporary low mood, you might be looking for a quick way to assess how you are feeling from an outside objective perspective.

If you are struggling with negative moods, feeling “off”, or having low self esteem, it might be hard to tell sometimes if what you are experiencing is just a temporary low point which is nothing serious, or if you are experiencing a depressive episode in your life. Understanding whether or not you are suffering from depression can be incredibly important in how you treat whatever mood you are in and whether or not you seek help.