The ‘black dog’. Got ‘the blues’.  Feeling ‘down in the dumps’. These are all slang terms for feeling depressed.  Through the course of life’s ups and downs, everyone feels low or sad from time to time and this is perfectly natural.  However, if you feel down for extended periods of time to the point where it has a significant negative impact on your life, then you may be suffering from depression.

In the west, depression affects around 1 in 10 adults at any one time, meaning it is much more widespread than most people know.  The good news is that there is a lot of support out there and cure rates are high once someone seeks help.  It all starts with acknowledging that depression is a state of mind and this article covers ten most common symptoms of depression…

Symptom #1 – Feelings of Hopelessness

A prolonged overall feeling of hopelessness is a classic symptom of depression.  More specifically, hopelessness can include feelings of:

• Alienation – a feeling of somehow being different and disconnected from society. It includes feelings of being insignificant, unworthy and unloved
• Powerlessness – everyone needs to feel that they can author the story of their own life. When this need is impeded and a person feels like they are losing this control, a feeling of powerlessness can set in
• Pessimism – a habit of focusing on problems or negatives rather than on solutions and the positives of a situation. A pessimistic state of mind will anticipate undesirable outcomes and believe that life’s hardships outweigh the good in life