Lets dive into the intricate web of stress and depression. In todays fast-paced world that we live in, my goal is to provide insights and strategies to help you identify and manage stress, while creating a path towards well being.
Unfortunately, most of us have crossed path with the after math of suicidal thoughts, and are left with more questions than answers. How did we miss it, How can they be dead when they seemed so happy, Thing is we will never know. But how can we prevent it from happening again?
First we need to understand the dynamics. Stress and depression can coexist and share similarities, but they are distinct conditions. Stress is a natural physiological and psychological response to challenges, that the body and mind perceives as threatening. This could be work deadlines, relationship issues, or major life changes like death of a loved one, or loss of a job.
This then causes a release of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, that prepare the body for a fight or flight response. Some amount of stress is positive because, it can motivate you to take action, however prolonged stress affects your physical and psychological well being. It can manifests itself through various symptoms including, irritability, sleep disturbances, difficulty in concentrating, changes in appetite and headaches.
On the other hand, depression is a mental health disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness and lack of interest or pleasure in activities. Its a complex condition that affects how one thinks, feels and behaves.
Although the cause of depression is not fully known, it is believed to be a combination of genetic, environmental and psychological factors. Imbalances of serotonin (neurotransmitter in the brain) can also lead to depression.
Having that in mind, its important to seek professional help from a mental health provider. This will give you access to accurate diagnosis and proper treatment. Additionally adopting a different lifestyle can help reduce and manage the symptoms for example, getting the recommended hours of sleep, exercising regularly, changing your diet and embracing adaptive coping mechanism.(we will expound on that on a different post)
Let us not forget to ask for help from friends and family and in turn be each others support system. After all there is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.
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