Some of the most common symptoms of depression, like isolation and overthinking, end up becoming pitfalls. Once you sink into them, it becomes difficult to get out, and you just find yourself deeper into the black hole. This article will look at these depression traps and discuss what you can do to avoid them.
According to the World Health Organization, depression is a mental disorder that over 264 million people have to deal with. However, despite this commonality, it tends to manifest in different ways. For example, one person can choose to become isolated when he feels depression kick in, while another would opt to wear a mask when surrounded by other people. He would then release his frustrations through addictions and other harmful coping mechanisms.
Either way, both of these symptoms are considered depression traps. They are behavioral pitfalls that accompany depression, and if left unaddressed, could end up perpetuating unhealthy cycles that worsen depression.
In this article, we will look at six of the most common depression traps and discuss what you can do to avoid falling into them.
Depression Trap #1: Rumination
Rumination is a significant component of depression, and it is essential to know that it is different from introspection and self-reflection. The latter involve centered minds with the intention of growth, whereas rumination occurs when you brood over losses, failures, and decisions that make you feel bad about yourself. It involves overthinking about words that you said and things that other people did, and viewing everything in a negative light.
For example, if the waitress smiles at the person at the next table and then she proceeds to engage with you politely, you would think that she doesn’t like you as much as she likes her other customers. You wonder what you did to make her that way towards you, and would then come to the conclusion that you are just inherently unlikable. What you don’t know is that the customer she smiled at is actually her best friend from college, and that rumination caused you to misinterpret the situation because of misguided neural pathways.
What you can do: Deliberately seek out other absorbing things to do, like reading a book, watching a movie, or doing handicrafts. This would help redirect your attention and reset your frame of mind.
Depression Trap #2: Avoidance and Social Withdrawal
When people are depressed, they usually avoid social interaction and stay locked up in their rooms. They make up excuses to avoid conversing with people, and there is always a last-minute explanation as to why they cannot make that family reunion. They think that by withdrawing from life, they can resolve all their problems. What they don’t realize is that they are making things worse, for isolation only drags them deeper into depression.
What you can do: Whenever you feel tempted to isolate yourself, deliberately fight back by picking up that phone and contacting your friends or family. While cancelling plans and being alone would help you feel better in the short term, these tendencies end up hurting you over the long run. Though it may be difficult now, seeking out social interaction will help you deal with signs of depression better and even help you recover in the coming years.
Depression Trap #3: Negative Thinking
Negative thinking contributes to and is strengthened by depression. According to Stephen Ilardi, who wrote Depression Cure, people who are clinically depressed spend a lot of energy rehearsing negative thoughts in their heads for lengthy periods. Hence, they are usually rendered unable to do anything, as their cognition makes them believe that everything they do will fail.
What you can do: There may be times when you feel discouraged to make an effort to get out of bed and seek help because you wonder, “what’s even the point in all of this? I know nothing will make me feel better, so why bother trying at all?”
When you find yourself thinking these thoughts, stop. Remind yourself not to get too attached to your grim expectations, and allow yourself to believe that you can be happy again. Every day, be deliberate about looking for things to be grateful for and write them down, as the repeated practice of this would help you recalibrate your way of thinking. And if you don’t quite know where to begin with this, you can use apps like Grateful, which give you gratitude prompts, so you have something positive to ponder on.
Depression Trap #4: Alcohol
Alcohol and depression are closely linked, as many people with depression choose to drown their sorrows away in beer and whiskey. They believe that alcohol allows them to escape their lives and forget their problems for a little while. The problem with this is that they’re going to keep wanting to escape, so they’re going to keep drinking until it gets to the point that it’s a habit and they’ve become dependent on it.
Ironically, a clinical review in the Professional Psychology: Research and Practice journal concluded that alcohol can interfere with recovery from depression, and that this is not just applicable to patients who have reached the point of alcohol abuse. The study showed that even mild to moderate amounts of alcohol can worsen depression and that drinking less than 1 oz of alcohol a day can impact pharmacological treatments.
What you can do: It would be difficult to stop drinking alcohol if you have already become dependent on it as a way to resolve your issues. As such, you would need to seek out your therapist and be honest about your situation.
For personal monitoring and accountability, you can also make use of sobriety counters. To do this, you can tick off every single day that you managed to stay sober on your calendar, or you can download apps such as Days so that you can track how many days since you last drank alcohol while also letting your inner environmentalist rejoice in how much paper you’re saving.
Depression Trap #5: Turning to Sugar and Caffeine
Both sugar and caffeine can get the blood pumping and induce a heady rush. They have temporary mood-elevating properties, which then make them attractive to people with depression. However, it is essential to know that these effects are temporary, and after two hours, they lead to a blood glucose crash which has mood-depressing effects.
What you can do: Eating healthy and maintaining a balanced diet is highly beneficial for people struggling with depression. If you really enjoy eating sweets or drinking coffee, slowly transition to fruits and decaf. This would help satiate your taste buds while making sure that there are no unnecessary spikes in your bloodstream.
Depression Trap #6: Addictions
Many people end up getting into addictions to cope with their depression. Some become addicted to gaming and social media, while others get addicted to drugs and other such substances. Although the latter is arguably more critical than the former, both forms of addiction are unhealthy to the mind and body. These will lead to deeper depression and possible mental and physical health repercussions in the long run.
What you can do: The steps to overcome addiction will be dependent on what you are addicted to. But no matter what, the ultimate goal is to completely free yourself from its chains. For help in this regard, you can consult your therapist, and he will be the one to inform you of what you need to do to battle your addiction.
Depression Trap #7: Not Doing Anything
You may notice that depression makes you feel tired, uninspired, and just not in the mood. As such, you find yourself putting off things you need to do like cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash, or even brushing your teeth. Not only is this highly unhygienic, but it will also make you more overwhelmed in the long run.
What you can do: Mindfully fight the urge to put things off, and prioritize building healthy habits that your body would be inclined to do even when you find yourself in the middle of a depressive episode. To do this, you can create a to-do list and set different alarms to remind you of the different things that you need to do. You can also use external apps such as Done to track how consistent you have been in accomplishing your tasks.
Now, this is not to say that you have to do everything at once. To avoid getting overwhelmed, you may opt to begin with just a few small tasks each day, like washing your hair, doing the dishes, and vacuuming the floor. Once you find those manageable, you can add more tasks until you finally get everything done.
Dealing with depression is difficult enough; it does not have to be worse than it already is. By avoiding these common traps, you allow yourself a better chance at getting back on track.
