My To-Do and Not-To-Do Lists After A Painful Break Up/Divorce - Part IV

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Part III

This Part IV of my article is research based and supported by some trusted mental health organizations. Therefore if you realized that you fit into some of the descriptions below, it is time that you need to reach out for help.

Dealing with grief and lost in life can sometimes be paralyzing. However, sadness will begin to lift after awhile. As time goes by, you started to slowly move on. Nevertheless, if you do not feel any forward momentum, you need to start looking for symptoms of whether you are suffering from depression. When you started to feel unrelenting, overwhelming, feeling like “living in a black hole”, numb, lifeless and empty, this is time when you are at risk of suffering from depression.

Please do not think that I am making a big deal out of it. Feeling down and sad from time to time is normal in life as we do experience setbacks, struggles and disappointments. We all experienced ups and downs in our mood. However, when emptiness and despair is persistently exist and won’t go away, it maybe depression.



Are you depressed?

If you identify with several of the following signs and symptoms, and they just won’t go away, you may be suffering from clinical depression.

• you can’t sleep or you sleep too much
• you can’t concentrate or find that previously easy tasks are now difficult
• you feel hopeless and helpless
• you can’t control your negative thoughts, no matter how much you try
• you have lost your appetite or you can’t stop eating
• you are much more irritable and short-tempered than usual
• you have thoughts that life is not worth living (Seek help immediately if this is the case)

Common signs and symptoms of depression

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. A bleak outlook—nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.

• Loss of interest in daily activities. No interest in former hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure.

• Appetite or weight changes. Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.

• Sleep changes. Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping (also known as hypersomnia).

• Irritability or restlessness. Feeling agitated, restless, or on edge. Your tolerance level is low; everything and everyone gets on your nerves.

• Loss of energy. Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete.

• Self-loathing. Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.

• Concentration problems. Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.

• Unexplained aches and pains. An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.

(Source: Understanding depression) To learn more about depression, please click on the link provided.


-- to be continued