Another breakdown? I’m sure you find yourself convinced multiple times that you are depressed because of the pandemic. But are you really depressed or is it just a COVID-19 bad day?
First and foremost, please don’t go diagnosing yourself or others with any mental health condition without a mental health professional. The signs can seem very relatable, and it can be difficult to differentiate whether you’re just having the covid blues or if it’s something more that can possibly turn out to be depression. However, the symptoms do not apply to every situation. Nevertheless, it can give us peace of mind to understand possible explanations behind how we feel so let's dive in together.
Sometimes, our mood fluctuates, we feel like no one understands us, we would also feel overwhelmed and cry. However, Psychologists say that if these symptoms are experienced for a shorter period of time that lasts for less than 2 weeks, we are most likely experiencing the normal blues. It is understandable that the struggles of the pandemic can make us experience them more often but the normal blues would come and go and do not last for weeks.
So, when does it become more than the covid blues?
If we find ourselves experiencing 2 weeks or more of constant sadness, anger, hostility, outbursts, feeling empty, hopeless or worthless, change in weight, sleep, energy and physical activity, difficult to concentrate, losing interest in school or work-related activities, withdrawing from everyone and to the point of having thoughts of suicide, it is best to seek help and get assessed by a mental health professional. These symptoms may be a sign of depression.
We know now that the difference between the normal blues and possible depression appears to be with the length and severity of the symptoms. So supposedly you are having the COVID-19 blues, how do you deal with that?
The good news is that our bad days are manageable and can be improved by giving ourselves more time for self-care.