The first step to recovery is finding the cause
If there’s only one thing you take from this article let it be this; until you treat the cause of your depression it WON’T go away, and it WILL get worse!!Modern life is so busy that a lot of people suffering depression turn to quick fixes to solve their problems (i.e. antidepressants, alcohol, drugs). And they may help…temporarily. But they won’t heal you, because you’re not treating the real cause of your problems.
Think of it this way. If you don’t remove a weed it continues to grow. You can ignore it, cover it up, or even cut it down, but it will continue to grow. The only way to kill a weed is to remove it from its roots. Think of treating your depression the same way. If you don’t treat the cause (roots), it’ll keep returning until you do.
What’s the real cause?
For some people the cause of their depression is obvious, e.g. loss of employment, divorce or the death of a loved one. For others, it takes a little more digging. And because what causes depression varies from person to person you shouldn’t feel ashamed to request the assistance of someone close to you, or better still a therapist/counsellor.
Sometimes admitting to ourselves what’s causing our depression can be the most challenging part, i.e. jealousy, regret. Being ashamed of what the true cause was is what delayed my recovery. So strive to be honest, at least with yourself, because if you lie about what’s really causing your depression you’ll be the one who suffers. More and more people are blaming their biology for their depression and turning to antidepressants to cure them. But for most people this is just an excuse.
This is why I strongly recommend speaking to a psychologist. They’re trained to help you identify and treat what’s causing your depression. If you won’t speak to a therapist then at the very least find someone you trust. Because with depression you’re often your own worst enemy, and because the list of causes is so long, identifying what the real cause is yourself can be complicated.
Finding your triggers
Whether the cause of your depression is obvious or not a good place to start is to identifying your triggers i.e. when you feel lowest.
When you’re depressed you’re in a constantly low mood, so it’s hard to identify any one trigger that sets you off. But if you start taking notice you’ll find there’s always something that makes you feel the worst. Identifying your triggers can help you find the cause.
- Document what your triggers are, i.e. Start keeping tabs of the times your depression becomes inflamed. It can be a physical aspect of your life (i.e. job, relationship), an emotional one (i.e. Low self-esteem, low confidence), or a mental one (i.e. how you think about something).
- Document how you feel when your depression is triggered, i.e. anxious, fatigued, low mood. Realising how bad certain aspects of your life have made you feel will give you all the motivation you need to be rid of what’s causing it.
Although this may seem like a lot of effort, knowing your triggers and how they make you feel will help you identify the root cause or causes of your depression, bringing you one step closer to beating depression for good.
- Finding the cause of your depression is the first step to recovery.
- Quick fixes may work temporarily, but they won’t treat the real cause.
- Speak to a therapist or someone you trust, they can help you identify the cause.
- Identifying your triggers (what makes you feel lowest) is also a great way to pinpoint what the true cause is.
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