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In the age of social media, it’s surprising that we feel more disconnected from each other than ever before. While it’s possible to have so many fair-weather friends online, there’s still so many more cases of depression resulting from things like old school bullying tactics for younger children and fear of missing out (FOMO) in young adults. The rates of depression are skyrocketing now, but it can be difficult to understand if you are feeling depressed in one way or another especially as it’s so easy to see your friends have the same symptoms. So let’s look at the signs.

Feeling withdrawn in a personal sense

It is very easy to check in online and keep people updated on what you’re doing even though you haven’t actually spoken to someone in a personal manner for some time. It can be difficult to reach out for professional help when you are feeling withdrawn and don’t feel like leaving your room. However, there are tools online you can use such as GP at Hand where you can discuss your symptoms with a friendly face (the app is like FaceTime), and at least you can have a genuine professional opinion without you having to endure a stressful doctor’s clinic.

Are you sleeping too much?

You may find that you are tired a lot of the time, and it’s very easy for you to spend more time snoozing under the covers if you are feeling depressed in some way, as it provides a refuge from the world. On the other side of that coin, you might find that you are unable to sleep and as a result, you could feel restless or have disrupted sleeping patterns, or even insomnia.

Have you been feeling agitated?

This is a sign that few people recognise as a symptom of depression. You might feel grumpy or cranky, or find it the littlest things that you didn’t care about before leave you snapping at those around you. It is likely to be due to the way depression makes hormonal mood swings worse, but it also could be the by-product of a lot of weighty emotions. Much like when you are in physical pain, you can get irritated. The same applies to mental pain.

A lack of focus

One of the more prominent symptoms of depression or anxiety is being unable to concentrate and feeling like your mind resembles a fuzzy out of focus photograph. Some people call it brain fog and it can make an impact on your decision making.

Ultimately these are just a handful of symptoms, and there can be so many depending on your individual circumstances, and this also means that there are many ways to treat these symptoms. While a lot of people promote keeping fit as a way to tire you out enough so that you can get a good quality sleep, it’s important to get in contact with a professional if you are feeling that it’s impacting on your life in a major way. And it can be difficult to reach out in any circumstances, but if you suspect that you are feeling depressed, it’s likely that someone else has noticed this too, especially those that are closest to you. You owe it to yourself to fix this. And remember that it’s not something that needs to affect you for life.