Depressed mood, constant lack of energy, dull emotions… This disorder is called «dysthymia» and is considered a mild form of depression. It can last a very long time, and most importantly, it poisons life, taking away the ability to rejoice. But it can be dealt with if you start with small steps, the therapist explains.
If you feel that you have lost control of your own life and for a long time (two years or more) experience longing, boredom and lack of energy, then it is possible that you suffer from dysthymia. This is a mild form of depression, but it seriously poisons life, and sometimes leads a person to suicidal thoughts.
It must be borne in mind that the causes of this form of depression are not biological, unlike that which accompanies bipolar disorder and other mental disorders. For some, this condition occurs even in childhood (for example, if the child grows up in a dysfunctional family), for someone in adulthood, if a person lacks vital skills and abilities, or if he has dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs.
Dysthymia usually develops like this:
- There is some area in your life that does not suit you at all: it can be work, marriage, finances, and anything else. Because of this, you experience stress and severe anxiety for a long time.
- The hormones that help you deal with stress announce surrender.
- You become depressed or low on energy, and this continues as your brain and body try to regain normalcy.
- If you can’t solve (or refuse to solve) a problem, this cycle continues, and the older you get, the longer you get.
Maybe you feel stuck in your unhappy marriage or job you don’t love, or forced to live in a place that doesn’t suit you. Or maybe you are suffering because you missed some great opportunity and this is irreparable.
There can be many scenarios. But in any case, your life does not suit you and you feel more and more exhausted due to depression. And at the same time, even one thought of change leads you to a stupor. It’s scary to change something in life. And serious changes are doubly scary.
So how do you find a cure for this depressing condition? This will take some effort, especially if your life is in need of a major overhaul. But the first thing you need to do is find something that can inspire you. It can be any activity, as long as it gives you real pleasure and adds meaning to your life. Something feasible, feasible, for which you want to wake up in the morning.
Let it be a minor addition to your normal life, for example, a new hobby, some kind of community where you will find pleasant conversationalists — the main thing is that you feel alive again. This «medicine» has no side effects, and thanks to it you will definitely feel the improvement. Treat any nice addition you add to your life as a stepping stone up the ladder that takes you away from depression.
This first step is extremely important. Getting rid of dysthymia is a process. It will not disappear by itself one day without any effort on your part. And in order to start and then support this process, you need to find something that pleases you and makes you feel good.
It gives hope for a future life without depression.
The next step is to find the root cause. Formulate it. Know that if this problem is resolved, it will be much easier for you. By identifying and naming it, you give a powerful impulse to healing. To eliminate depression from your life, you need to know how it started.
It is likely that you did not want to say this before, it was too hard. For example, say to yourself: «Our marriage is disgusting, I need to get out of this unhealthy relationship.» You could turn a blind eye to this for a long time — but do not think that by doing this you deceived your brain, it knew and knows perfectly well what is the root of evil.
Next, think about what qualities you need to mobilize, who can help you, what exactly needs to be changed in order to cope with depression once and for all. I repeat, this is a process, there will be no quick results. Use small joys to fuel your energy until you can finally remove the very roots of your problem.
Save those joyful moments. Maybe the process will take two weeks, or maybe two years. But if you are consciously looking for a solution and have reason to rejoice at the same time, you will feel that you are getting closer to the goal. And that you are no longer helpless.