Doing good for yourself and taking care of yourself – that often falls behind with a stressful job, family, household and honorary posts. And yet it is so important in order not to get caught in a spiral of being overwhelmed, negative thoughts or even depression.
Especially in the gray season, many people know these thoughts: If only I could just pull the blanket over my head and not have to get up in the first place!
Most of the time, these sensitivities go away on their own. You are only depressed when several symptoms come together and last for at least two weeks. Anyone who is constantly depressed, joyless and exhausted, sleeps poorly, has no appetite or cannot concentrate may have developed depression, explains Prof. Ulrich Hegerl, Chairman of the German Depression Aid Foundation and Director of the University Psychiatry in Leipzig.
Depression has to do with predisposition
Whether someone becomes depressed or not has to do with predisposition. «There are people who experience a lot of frustration and never get a real depression.» With others you ask yourself: How can this successful person be depressed? «The fact that it can affect anyone and not just those who seem to have reasons for it is a very important finding.»
Anyone with the predisposition is never immune to slipping into depression. Nevertheless, everyone can minimize the risk a little. «There is the often-cited mindfulness towards oneself,» says Armin Rösl from Munich, who takes care of public relations at the German Depression League. «When you realize you’re taking on too much, you should be honest with yourself and say, ‘I need to slow down.'»
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This can help with depression
What Rösl always helps is withdrawing into oneself, as he says. By that he doesn’t mean brooding, but a reflection on one’s own strengths. Karl Heinz Möhrmann, board member of the Federal Association of Relatives of Mentally Ill People (BApK), also sees an important key in stress management. Those who are prone to depression must try to avoid excessive stress.
It is also unfavorable – as paradoxical as it sounds – a lot of sleep. This creates a vicious circle, Hegerl describes: people are exhausted and tired, go to bed early, but never wake up refreshed in the morning. «You can try to counteract something by limiting the time in bed to about eight hours and not lying down during the day either.»
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Get help quickly
However, what is important in all prevention: to react quickly when the depression is there. «You can’t get out alone,» emphasizes Rösl. The path often leads first to the family doctor. «If the depression does not improve after several weeks or is severe, then you can go straight to a specialist, i.e. a psychiatrist or neurologist.»
Those affected and their relatives can find a self-test and a list of contact points on the website of the German Depression Aid Foundation. The Depression League offers, among other things, e-mail advice and also provides information on its website about various aid organizations that can provide initial information.
Other contact points for those affected and their relatives: Germany-wide depression information line 0800 33 44 5 33 (free of charge)