I can’t tell you how many people I’ve worked with who just couldn’t get out of their “funk”. They don’t know why, but they just can’t seem to get it together. Some even feel guilty that their lives are great, yet they can’t seem to get excited about any of it anymore. I’ve often been told that they remember looking at others who say they have depression and wonder, “What do they have to be depressed about?”.
In general, most people prefer to just say they’re in a funk, or they’re just feeling a little down. It’s not easy to say, “I might be depressed.” Why? There’s been (and still is) so much stigma surrounding depression. For some, being depressed meant being weak, ungrateful, or complaining. Obviously, that’s so far from the truth. But stigma leads to denial that it’s just a funk, and it’ll go away just like that *insert snap*.
I’ll start by saying, everyone gets in a funk at times. We can’t all be a ray of sunshine all time. Hell, everyone gets depressed at some point in their lives. The problem comes when your daily functioning is impacted. When you look around and see that you don’t feel like the person you were before is when it’s more than just a funk.
Here are a few ways your daily functioning can be impacted:
You feel down almost daily for weeks on end. This could come with irritability and a general loss of interest in things you used to enjoy.
Low energy or fatigue
Too much or too little sleep
Increase or decrease in appetite
You isolate yourself from others
This isn’t an extensive list by any means, and it’s not to be used to diagnose. However, if you’ve noticed any of these issues, you may find it helpful to speak with a professional to help you find ways to cope.
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