You must have seen smiling faces but do you always feel that these faces are really happy inside? Or are you the one who has always been putting up a smile on your face but deep down you’ve been feeling low and unhappy? Do you find yourself walking inside a party feeling energized but do you often take washroom breaks where you find yourself feeling disgusted about being in the party? When you have a moderate day at work but as soon as you hit your bed, you start feeling low, is it just a bad day or you’re suffering from smiling depression?
Smiling depression – Is it different from conventional depression?
Smiling depression, unlike conventional depression is a state where the sufferer masks himself in such a manner that noone understands that he is suffering from depression deep down. They always put up a broad smile on their face and hence the people around them fail to understand they they’re depressed. Are you suffering from any of these symptoms listed below?
- Do you feel irritated or do you have a bad mood almost every other day?
- Do you find yourself losing interest in those activities which previously brought you pleasure?
- Do you find a sudden change in weight or in your appetite?
- Do you suffer from hypersomnia or insomnia?
- Do you feel a lack of energy of fatigue?
- Do you always have a feeling of worthlessness and guilt?
- Do you have any kind of difficulty in concentrating?
- Do you sometimes get suicidal thoughts?
Is Smiling depression pretty common these days?
Just as SAD or seasonal affective disorder which is a kind of depression that’s associated with altering seasons is partially caused by some specific symptoms, similarly, smiling depression is seen to be more common during winter. Lack of physical activity, lack of sunlight and the cold weather can fuel depression. Someone suffering from this kind of depression is able to hide it from others as they are constantly trying to achieve a different persona which is of an accomplished person.
Can therapy help smiling depression?
Yes, it can! Therapy or online counseling can help you with recognizing the unhealthy and abnormal patterns which are gradually breaking your cycle. Many become victims of cognitive disorders which lead to low self-worth and they can even help you in identifying distorted thoughts and alter them into positive ones. To know more, you may click here.
Can talking to someone close help?
One more difficulty that is faced by people suffering from smiling depression is to keep the entire thing with them. None can take away the pain that you feel within yourself and this is when you may start feeling that there’s noone who can assist you. If you trust someone and if you simply put those feelings into the person and make him understand your problem, you may feel better at times.
No one is PERFECT!
Smiling depression can also be triggered due to the feeling that you’re not as normal as others or you’re not perfect enough in spite of whatever you do and whoever you are. While it is absolutely okay to have high standards about yourself, but you should also remember at the same time that there’s no use in setting the bar for yourself at a too high level. Depression often seems to go hand in hand with setting unrealistic demands from yourself. So, always believe that noone is perfect and it is okay to not be perfect!
Get help as soon as possible as living with smiling depression can soon get disgusting and you might force yourself to commit suicide.
