If the feeling of depression is “no one in the wilderness”, then anxiety is probably “numerous worries crowding in my heart like the crowds during Golden Week”. Some people ask, “Why do I feel “depressed” and “anxious”, or rather, depressed and irritable? Yes, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms often go hand in hand.
When depressive disorder meets anxiety
There are five main clinical manifestations of depressive disorder.
1, significant and persistent depressed mood and pessimism.
2. feeling inhibited in the ability to think and often considering negative things.
3, diminished volitional activity and reluctance to participate in various daily activities.
4.Decreased memory and attention.
5, the appearance of sleep disorders, fatigue, appetite loss and other types of physical symptoms.
The diagnostic criteria for depressive disorders do not involve anxiety symptoms, but some surveys have shown that more than half of depressed patients feel some degree of anxiety. In depressive states, patients often show self-condemnation and self-blame, believing that they are not good enough, that there is no point in doing anything, that there is no hope for anything in the future, and that behaviorally they find it difficult to do things and want to avoid activities that seemed easy or fun in the past.
The pessimistic perception of oneself and the increasing difficulty in communicating with the outside world may cause depressed people to feel anxious – afraid that things will become worse and more frightening than they are at the moment. People with depression may also exhibit symptoms of anxiety such as agitation, which is very common in older patients; in addition, children and adolescents in depressed states are likely to have irritable anxiety symptoms.
When anxiety disorders encounter depression
The main clinical manifestations of generalized anxiety disorder are.
1. persistent and excessive worry about possible future danger or misfortune.
2. fidgeting and having tense muscles.
3. the presence of panic, shortness of breath, chest tightness, headache, and other somatic discomfort due to autonomic hyperfunction.
4. irritability, difficulty falling asleep, and difficulty concentrating due to “heightened alertness”.
People with anxiety disorders also sometimes feel that they are enveloped by depression. Any anxiety that lingers can be unpleasant, unhappy, and even self-critical: 1.
1. difficulty coping with work, people and life as easily as in the past.
2.Continued tension and various physical discomforts are painful and unbearable.
3, excessive concern and worry about symptoms, giving birth to the belief that “I am so anxious that I can’t possibly do anything else well”, bringing despair and self-blame.
4.Sense of helplessness about the symptoms, fearing that there is no way to get well again.
What should I do if I am anxious and depressed?
One of depression and anxiety already seems difficult to cope with, what can we do when facing both at the same time?
1. Exercise
If someone encourages you to find a sport and go to it every day, don’t secretly laugh at them for not giving more innovative tips. When depression slows down our actions and thoughts, exercise can help the body and subjective feelings are slowly active; and when anxiety makes people feel a lot of claws and panic, exercise is a good way to release stress, it can make people quiet from the inside; exercise can also help the body to adjust to a better state, so as to relieve physical discomfort, restore the normal sleep rhythm.
2. Find the first step and step out
Even though depression and anxiety work together to slow down the brain, make it impossible to remember things the way it used to, or make it hard to concentrate, and even though the situation may feel “paralyzed inside” and incapable of doing anything, believe that we can still make the first step in the beginning of something.
Then, break it down until each step is specific and detailed, and we will no longer find it difficult to perform. Next, focus on the next step, which is the new “first step”.
This strategy keeps us from being wrapped up in the “feeling of incompetence” that comes with depression because, at least, we have control over the step at hand; it also prevents us from being kidnapped by endless anxiety, because as things progress step by step, our attention slowly shifts from “endless worry” to what we want to focus on.
And every experience of successfully getting things done in a state of anxiety or depression will help us find ways to live with these “sad lows” or “nervous jitters”.
3. Be aware of yourself
When thoughts like “I’m so screwed up,” “This is probably not going to end well,” “What if that or this happens,” “How terrible it would be if something happened,” etc. come to mind, emotions may come up that we cannot control at will, but we can first observe our own thoughts.
(1) Is this really the reality?
(2) Am I exaggerating the problem?
(3) Am I worrying for no reason?
(4) Am I being overly critical of myself?
Then, look at the beliefs behind the thoughts.
(1) Do I feel that “just because a detail is not perfect, it means that everything is bad”?
(2) Do I feel that “things must go as expected or they are unacceptable”?
After realizing that our emotions stem from these irrational thoughts, we can tell ourselves.
(1) I feel depressed or anxious because I have some not-so-reasonable beliefs in my perception.
(2) Although they always run out automatically, I know that the reality of the situation is not what I think it is.
This can help us to bear and deal with these emotions instead of being carried away by them. 4.
4. Identify with ourselves and our emotions
We have to accept the fact that occasional depression and appropriate anxiety are part of everyday life. We can accept this self with depression and anxiety and stop fighting ourselves; we can accept these bad feelings, they will always be there and will not, cannot, disappear completely in our lives. In fact, depression and anxiety both have their own existence.
Depression allows us to avoid making hasty decisions and to refrain from doing risky and dangerous things; anxiety allows us to remain objective rather than “unrealistically optimistic”. Having bad feelings is better than having ‘no feelings’ – the latter being emptiness and numbness – the former means we also have the ability to feel the good feelings of joy, pleasure, peace, vitality, fullness, etc. in our lives.