5 habits that reinforce depression

These are habits and routines that, without us realizing it, strengthen depression.

Depression is a psychological disorder that feeds on many of the actions performed by the person with this disorder. And its symptoms lead us to fall into a vicious circle from which it is difficult to escape; hence, in the face of this psychopathology, it is essential to have professional psychotherapeutic support.

In this article we will see which are the habits that reinforce the depression and that you must avoid if you believe that you suffer from this disorder of the mood.

What is depression?

The major depression, or clinical depression, is one of the most extended and frequent psychopathologies between the general population, affecting around 5% of the people worldwide.. It is also one of the most disabling in its severe versions, and is associated with the danger of ending one's own life, since one of its characteristic symptoms is suicidal ideation.

However, beyond depression as it is described and defined in the diagnostic manuals used in psychiatry, there is a whole series of depressive symptoms that we can present in certain phases of life, even if they are not so severe as to constitute clinical depression. Depression is not a clearly delimited psychological disorder; we can all move towards or away from it, it is partly a question of degrees of intensity of discomfort and dysfunctional behavioral patterns.

Some of the characteristic symptoms of depression are as follows. (although keep in mind that this disorder can only be diagnosed by mental health professionals):

• Persistent feeling of hopelessness and pessimism about what the future holds.
• Affective flattening: we feel little, and the little we feel, hurts us.
• Attacks of uncontrollable crying, even without knowing how to identify the cause.
• We find it difficult to enjoy everything we used to like.
• Constant fatigue that has no justification in the physical effort we have made.
• Growing disinterest in social relationships, we tend to isolate ourselves socially in our free time.
• In the most severe cases, recurrent suicidal ideation appears.

On the other hand, depression is not something that arises within us and affects us in a unidirectional way. We can also participate in its maintenance or weakening, as we will see in the following section.as we will see in the next section.

5 habits and routines that feed depression

If you notice that you may have developed depression or that you are manifesting symptoms associated with it, take into account these habits that reinforce depression to avoid them in your daily life, as they can contribute to this psychopathology to consolidate in you.

1. Neglecting your own hygiene

One of the factors that reinforce depression more quickly is the fact of overlooking the routines of self-care and body hygiene: not showering, not combing your hair, not changing clothes, etc..

This makes the person feel even worse within a few days because of the physical sensations produced by the dirtinessItchy skin, bad odor that makes you lose concentration, tendency to sneeze because of the accumulation of dust in the hair and face... and of course, avoidance of social interactions outside the house "so that they don't see me like this".

It is a dynamic into which people with depression fall without realizing it.The living conditions thus fostered, based on the management of physical discomfort and social isolation, are a breeding ground for the development and consolidation of depressive disorders.

The conditions of life propitiated by this, based on the management of physical discomfort and social isolation, are a breeding ground for the development and consolidation of depressive disorders.

2. Locking oneself in the bedroom all day or not getting out of bed.

This type of lifestyle characterized by an extreme sedentary lifestyle not only harms your health physically, but also affects your mental health making it easier for depression to gain strength. The lack of sources of motivation and external stimuli is one of the factors that strengthen this mood disorder, and the passivity produced by the lack of motivation is one of the factors that strengthen this mood disorder.The passivity produced by depression is in turn a psychological aspect that allows it to perpetuate itself, leading you to fall into a vicious circle.

That is why one of the most effective procedures against depression used in psychotherapy is what is known as behavioral activation, which consists of helping the patient to learn to "self-commit" to activities that lead him to interact with the environment physically, instead of limiting himself to introspective actions. In this way, his emotional state is influenced through observable actions.

3. Tendency to get little sleep

Because of the disorganized lifestyle favored by depression (and partly due to the anxiety that many of those who develop this disorder end up suffering), many depressed people end up sleeping little.

This causes them to have serious concentration difficulties and lack of energy, making it more difficult for them to adopt a healthy lifestyle. They find it more difficult to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to achieve the goals set out in the psychotherapy program. and, in addition, this physical wear and tear will contribute to maintain the emotional alteration, since the nervous system will not be able to repair itself well.

Therefore, it is important to set a very clear schedule and establish the necessary routines so that when the time comes to go to bed, it is possible to do so, instead of falling into the temptation of postponing it.

4. Using work as a refuge to escape

As we have seen, depression is characterized by passivity. However, this is compatible with using work as an excuse not to think, a way to escape and to feel nothing more than the urgency to reach a certain productivity goal in a matter of minutes or hours.

Not all people with depression do this (in the most severe cases, they lack the energy to carry it out), but these cases are not rare, and they never contribute to the person's recovery. In fact, This kind of "work binge" produces an emotional instability that can lead the person to develop an that can lead the person to develop an anxious-depressive condition.

5. Staying in bed for a long time after waking up

It has been observed that, in people with depression, the moment of waking up is usually one of the moments of the day in which they suffer with greater intensity the symptoms of this disorder..

Therefore, many people choose to stay in bed, because they feel they need to deal with these emotions. However, in most cases this does not help, and only serves to establish a dysfunctional routine that helps depression to perpetuate itself through observable actions like that.

Are you seeking professional counseling?

If you are going through a difficult time in your life and are experiencing persistent emotional discomfort, we invite you to contact our team of psychotherapy professionals..

In our psychology center located in Madrid (Ciudad Lineal) we offer coverage to all areas of mental health, serving adults, children and adolescents. We can also help you through the format of online therapy via video call.