Loss can sometimes cut so deep that the pain is overwhelming.
You start to view yourself differently, including your relationships and the future you had planned.
You know you can’t go on like this. Something has to change.
You need to take a step back and find relief.
Grief can infiltrate and manipulate your internal thought processes, which leaves the mind wide open to feelings of constant joylessness, hopelessness, and never-ending sadness.
Grief Can Sometimes Lead to Depression
Everybody will go through a period of depressed moods after a loss, and some may experience major or clinical depression. Professionals at Mental Health America report that almost 20 percent of people experiencing grief will develop depression as well.
People who have previously been diagnosed with depression, struggle with addiction, or lack a social support network are more likely to slip into depression while coping with grief.
Other Risk Factors for Depression
Dealing with grief for extended periods puts people at more risk of depression because it can fuel depressive episodes triggered by more than the emptiness of loss.
Grief can be such a deep and abiding pain that it drains all joy out of life and make it feel like it’s almost impossible to find any pleasure in it.
Intense grief can interfere with your ability to regulate your emotions, and continual focus on the feelings of loss soon turn into misery, depression, and withdrawal.
In a worst-case scenario, your grief can cause your mind to turn to suicidal thoughts, which indicates that depression may have taken hold, especially if you feel like you don’t deserve to live and begrudge living in general.
Regardless of your situation, it’s common for grief and depression to work together at creating untold levels of misery and emotional pain. Use these tips to get some relief:
Socialize
Depression likes nothing better than to fester and grow in isolation. You may not feel like mingling with people, but you should try anyway.
Depression and grief are best handled in good company, so let your close friends and family help ease your burden. People who love and care for you will grieve with you, so you don’t have to feel like you are alone in the darkness.
Find excuses to get out into the world, so you aren’t constantly trapped in your dark thoughts. Spend time with your pets. If you don’t have a pet, then consider getting one. Pet rescue operations are a fantastic and worthwhile source for animal companions who need your help.
Join a group where you can enjoy your favorite pastime with other people.
When you stimulate your mind with good company, fresh air, and sunshine, depression will have fewer dark places to linger, fester, and grow.
Take Time out For Self-Care and Compassion
Be deliberate in your self-care routine. Even if you don’t feel like it, you will be amazed at how much better you feel, even though you didn’t see the point of getting out of bed this morning. Be mindful of your self-talk. Depression has a nasty habit of flooding your mind with negative ideas. When you notice a dark thought, let it drift out of your mind without taking hold and replace it with a positive one.
Create a calming night routine that gets your mind and body ready for bed, so you are well rested for the next day. Depression is a lot easier to deal with when you are getting plenty of sleep. Eat a nutritious diet and try to get a few minutes of exercise every day.
Get Professional Help
Depression rarely leaves on its own. Instead, it hangs around, feeding the dark cloud that will eventually encompass your mind. You do not have to go through depression on your own.
Friends and family can provide a great support network, but professional therapy from a trained grief counselor can speed up the process of moving you through the dark tunnel so you can escape into the light. Eventually, talking about your loss and the subsequent emotions will help you work through your grief-fueled depression and give you a new purpose, which depression can’t abide.
To learn more about getting professional help, visit here: Depression Treatment