Teenage Depression – How To Not Give Up!

“I woke up from a disturbed sleep covered with a comforter that now seems moist with my sweat. The pillow was stained by a wet mark, I could feel that my throat is parched and there’s an agonizing body pain that I just can’t cope with. I fought the feeling of talking about it with my parents, how the hell am I going to explain this to them? Maybe I should text my best friend, but no I don’t want my ex to know about this. My heartbeat was racing as if I just got off a roller coaster and my hands were uneasy. How I wish I could just detach my body parts and not let it bother me, the mind would be the first one to go off or maybe heart? Cliche! A teardrop rolled down my eyes and I was helpless again, just another night. Wish I would figure out what’s bothering me, wish I could put an end to it, but, how?”

Is this narrative the voice inside your head? Is this something you heard someone you know saying? Keep reading to explore the whole dark journey behind “I want to quit”, and maybe you can help yourself or someone.

Overthinking, Anxiety or Depression?

The human mind is an epitome of f*ckery and how we wish there was a way to figure it out and channelize it manually. The mind has a mind of its own and there’s no sane way to say this fact. A tiny complication may feel like an end of the world while someday the building will be on fire and you wouldn’t care less. A social gathering may seem like an obligation, making you feel alone in a room full of people. If you can relate to this you know what a pain it is to fake laugh, smile at people and says “I’m fine” when you’re really not. You feel like you have got no one who you can possibly rant to, who won’t feel like your rant is unnecessary and first world.

There’s a thin line between overthinking and anxiety, which slowly creeps on you and takes over your life in a form of a depression. Depression has many faces, Atypical Depression to be the most common one amongst the youth. The common symptoms of atypical depression are slowly becoming the lifestyle of an urban crowd. Excessive eating, weight gain, excessive sleep, fatigue, exhaustion, sensitive to rejection and intense reactive moods are some of the commonly noticed symptoms. Depression doesn’t come with a board sign and sadly you can’t figure it on a blood test, the only way is to observe. To observe, care and do the best in interest to resolve the symptoms is the only way to get out or pull someone out of the dark hole of depression.

Depression in Youth and Young Kids

Ahoy, the reign of depressed youth has arrived and it’s looking scarier every passing year. What’s even scarier? The ugly shadow of depression has started to show up early in the adolescent year affecting even 13 years old kids. The earlier signs of depression when ignored slowly effects the inter-personal, professional, and every other aspect of your life leading to suicidal thoughts and attempts. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youths, the reasons behind are mostly their deep-rooted emotions leading to the path of depression. These emotions are triggered in early age by peer pressure, competitiveness, lack of self-esteem, low confidence and anxiety issues. Although there’s no way to be absolutely away from these factors, it all depends on how you tame these emotions and let it not mess with your head, making you mentally unstable.

Depression at a young age roots from various factors, from hormonal changes to negative thinking, it all accumulates until you have no idea what you’re up to. Most people in this age turn to substance abuse which alters their personality giving them a pseudo happiness that only ends with troublesome circumstances. It is most difficult for the people with traumatic life experience to cope up with the social standards of being ‘cool’. The undeveloped coping mechanism not only bothers the social behavior but also causes depression among teenagers.

Be Your Own Saviour!

Right when life starts feeling purposeless and you lose the reason of getting up every morning, this is exactly when you need to help yourself. The rock-bottom surely starts feeling like a comfortable place to be at than to hustle in coming out of it, but that’s the only way out of the tunnel. Your willingness to do nothing will push you further into darkness unless you torch that dark cave down. Find your awakening, for life is more than just what you have experienced yet. You got a free ticket to live, you betcha encash it the lit way possible!

Here are few totally doable things to bring back your light:

• Write down what’s bothering you, it gives you a different perspective of your problems and makes it easier to deal with.
• Don’t cut-off your social life, talk to people who really love and care about you. They can be your best friends, partner or even parents.
• If needed, visit a therapist/psychiatrist. It’s totally alright to seek professional help.
• Read self-help books and watch feel-good movies.
• Visit pretty cafes, order your favorite latte and just observe people living their life, not giving up.
• Indulge yourself in self-care or self-pampering. Trust us, for a stressed mind a Spa is a magical experience.
• Change your hairstyle, try new clothing styles.
• Smile at a stranger, barter the happiness. You never know, maybe just like you, affection is all they need to make their day.

Disclaimer: This is for the people with earlier signs of depression and millennials who go through stress, anxiety and mild form of depression. If you think your problem is persistent and bothering you a lot, it’s advisable to consult a counsellor, therapist or a psychiatrist. The help is always around, just reach out for it.