Everyone gets sad from time to time, but depression is a whole different story.
You don’t know why, but you don’t feel like doing much of anything. Getting out of bed is a battle. You snap at people—or at least you want to—for no reason. Your zest for life is just completely gone.
Early Signs of Depression
What is the first sign of depression? There is no one clear sign that everyone experiences, but there are a range of symptoms that tend to hit first, including:
- Being tired all the time and/or having trouble falling asleep
- Feeling sluggish and unenergetic when awake
- A loss of focus in your work and a lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Feelings of irritability and anxiousness
- Poor eating habits, including eating too much or too little
- Aches and pains without any obvious causes, including headaches and digestive trouble
- Putting on a mask and pretending that everything is alright
- Turning to drugs or alcohol to cope with feelings
Am I Depressed or Just Sad?
Sadness is a normal response to an event or life change. Depression, however, has no obvious cause.
This is how Psychology Today explains it: Sadness is feeling sad about something; depression is feeling sad about everything.
If that sounds familiar, it’s critical that you seek help. Just like addiction, depression isn’t something you can just “snap out of.”
You can and will get better, but the first step is to reach out for the care you need. If you don’t know where to turn, call a friend or family member and ask for help. View Photos Of Our Ranch
Fighting Addiction and Depression at The Raleigh House
There’s not much use being sober if you’re miserable.
That’s why, at The Raleigh House, we pay as much attention to issues like depression and anxiety as we do to addiction. If you are suffering from depression, we’ll help you recover from that at the same time that we treat your addiction.
The goal, after all, is to live a full and rewarding life and to be free to become your best self. Fill out our form or contact us today to learn more about our drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs.
