The Impact and Effects of Severe Depression on Daily Life

Depression, more than just sadness, significantly impacts daily life. It clouds thoughts, reduces motivation, and isolates individuals. Symptoms include persistent low mood, loss of interest, changes in sleep and appetite, and difficulty concentrating. Rediscovering oneself through activities, connecting with others, and engaging with nature can help mitigate these effects. 

Why is depression on the rise?

We have evolved from being scantily clad cavemen to citizens of a sophisticated society steadily built by our expanding intelligence. From deciding when is the perfect time to hunt for food to choosing what apparel to wear for a party, we have come a long way in domesticating nature and acquiring the maximum possible resources for our complex needs.

In this journey of our species, somewhere between our humble beginnings and our present state, we lost track of our connection with others and nature. A recent increase in psychiatric illnesses, suggests that the human brain has not kept up with the pace and complexity of the very environment it created. The world has gotten smaller with the internet binding different parts of the world together on a small handheld device, but it has grown more precarious, with people feeling more isolated than ever in the history of mankind. The disorder that feels unsettling and disconnects people in the most vivid and visceral form is depression.

Are sadness and depression the same?

Sadness and depression are not the same. While sadness is a core symptom of depression, the presence of other symptoms indicating a more global disorder is essential for a clinical diagnosis. The other symptoms include:

• diminished interest in things that one found pleasurable before, 
• major weight change (loss or gain), 
• change in sleep patterns (increased or decreased), 
• low energy levels; 
• persistent negative thoughts regarding one’s value, future and the world; 
• difficulties in concentration; and 
• thoughts about death or ideas of ending one’s life. 

How does depression impact a person’s life?

Depression does not simply take away one’s joy; it takes away colours from a person’s experience of the world. Having the sight of a depressed person is like wearing a pair of grey-tinted glasses through which every living thing appears either lifeless or devoid of any real perceptible quality. 

Signs and symptoms of depression

How do little symptoms of depression come to light and impact a person’s day-to-day life?

Initial signs of depression

The first hallmark effect of depression is a pervasive low mood unresponsive to any positive word, action or stimulus in the surroundings. The person feels entrapped in an imperturbable shell of isolation and loneliness, fuelled by a vicious cycle of persistent rumination of negative thoughts around themes of humiliation, entrapment, danger and loss.

The depressed state enhances the recall of negative memories faster than the neutral ones, distorting the actual picture of one’s life in retrospect in all its true colours 2. With such a monochromatic picture in the background, the person going through depression can’t help but perceive a pessimistic view of himself, his relationships and the world. Some depressive thoughts are expressed in ways like: 

• “I have always been a bad person;”
• “Nobody ever loved me;” and
• “Nothing good ever happens to me.”

Signs as depression progresses

While people with depression do not face negative events in their daily lives more than people who don’t have depression, the impact of negative events is greater and longer in the former when compared to the latter. People with depression tend to perceive even benign interpersonal feedback as negative that affirms negative beliefs about themselves, others and the world at large. 

A person might be sensitive to negative facial expressions in others, combined with a cognitive bias of being critical of others. One may anticipate rejection, which activates their negative beliefs. This amplifies the perception of negativity in the environment—a negative feedback loop that sustains the depressed state 4. The result is a deepening sense of isolation that pushes the person to isolate himself further away from others, losing opportunities for any meaningful experience in the process. 

What happens if depressive signs go untreated?

As the depression goes untreated, the effects of depression increase. A person may misperceive themselves as flawed and worthless, overshadowing the perception of their capacity to effect a change in their environment and achieve desirable outcomes. 

The culmination of these depressogenic processes is a pervasive sense of hopelessness- what Tirril Harris termed as ‘generalised hopelessness’ that strips off any motivation in the person to live. One can see why they experience suicidal thoughts; after all, what point does a person see in living for a future that his mind is blocked from seeing?

Physical signs of depression

The second hallmark of Severe Depression is psychomotor inertia experienced as chronically low energy levels that make navigating even activities of one’s daily life a sheer struggle and, at times, impossible. Simple habitual actions like getting out of bed, walking around in the house, or reaching out for a glass of water become too demanding. The person with depression feels like their body is unyielding to their will, fixed like a stone to the ground.

The inertia, added to hopelessness, creates a penetrating sense of pointlessness that one wakes up and sleeps with. Every day becomes a tedious loop of the Sisyphean act of carrying a boulder up to a mountain and watching it roll down again and again.

These depressive patterns and perceptions respond to anti-depressant treatment to the extent that a person can respond to interpersonal feedback realistically and process all his negative emotions in a clear light in therapy. But anti-depressants and therapy are only facilitating processes to re-cultivate something deeper, and that is, the fundamental human desire to bond, to seek connection with others and to belong.

Also read: How Effective is Therapy for Depression?

Recovering from depression 

Humans have conscious agency, which makes it possible to control one’s environment and develop a sense of self-confidence. While the motivation and cognitive capacity for new learning is lower in people with depression, behavioural activation using scheduled activities (as a part of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) offers ways to re-engage them in activities within their repertoire of skills.

One starts with daily chores and routine behaviours like making the bed, washing dishes, and rearranging almirahs or bookshelves and then moves on to more complex activities like gardening, cooking small meals, and outdoor activities. The daily scheduling keeps the person with depression committed to these simple activities, directly interrupts the self-focused style of thinking and brings a regular rhythm to his daily life.

Activities to help along the way

Activities like journalling, writing poetry, doodling or drawing help a person perceive the pen or the paintbrush, the page or the canvas as an extension of his mind. 

The creative dimension of the human psyche finds its expression in these gentle pursuits, gradually broadening a person’s self-esteem beyond his interpersonal relationships and fostering a sense of being an active agent in the world.

Know more about: Depression Medication: How it Works and the Common Side Effects

Seeking connection with others 

Seeking connection with others is so innate that even the possibility or anticipation of isolation or loneliness makes a person seek whatever support may be available. 

Cacioppo defined loneliness as, “A state of mind arising not from a mere physical absence of significant persons but from a failure or inability to share what matters to oneself with others.”

The depth of the connection we experience in our relationships gives us the feeling of being wanted, valued and belonging. 

Improving depth in relationships for a depressed person requires changes like reducing digital interactions and replacing them with voice calls or face-to-face interactions. Texts and emails do not provide sufficient clues to the tone, context and intentions of the other person. In the absence of such cues, the negative biases of depression overtake and aggravate the negative thought processes. 

A healthy social capital remains vital for a stable source of security, and since depressed persons need it more, they require encouragement to show up in social settings and maintain personal contacts as much as possible, especially with trusted friends or family members.

Connecting with nature

Most people with depression do talk about wanting to leave their urban lives behind and live on a snowclad mountain or by a river or lakeside all alone. There is real value in being surrounded by naturalistic environments. This innate love for natural landscapes and living things is what E.O. Wilson hypothesised as ‘Biophilia’. This affinity with nature goes back to the time when our hunter-gatherer ancestors domesticated nature and acquired control over their resources in the environments they lived in.

A walk in the park, listening carefully to the voices of different animals, birds and insects in the neighbourhood, observing the subtle shades of sunlight refracted by the branches and leaves of trees swaying in the breeze, the shapeshifting cloud formations against a calm blue sky, and such ubiquitous phenomena of nature help a person move slightly away from the centre of his impoverished self-experience and observe lives other than his own in the vicinity.

Being conscious of the presence of other life forms interwoven with our existence in the web of life expands our definition of ‘life’ and, consequently, its experience.

To conclude, depression can severely impact a person’s life—physically, emotionally, and mentally. However, there’s always hope and light at the end of the tunnel. If you’re going through any of the aforementioned signs or you know of someone, please don’t hesitate to begin small and reach out for help.

FAQS

1. What are the everyday struggles of depression?

Losing focus, pervasive negative thoughts that lead to endless overthinking and negative thought patterns, hopelessness, difficulty in completing everyday tasks, and overwhelming tiredness are some everyday struggles of depression. Read more on Understanding Depression: Signs, Causes and Types

2. What are the five main causes of depression?

5 main causes of depression are the loss of a loved one, conflicts, abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional), a major life event, and genetics are five most common causes of depression.

3. How do I know if I'm depressed?

Look out for signs to know if you’re depressed:

• A persistent feeling of sadness
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities
• Loss of energy or fatigue
• Overwhelming negative thoughts
• Changes in sleep and appetite
• Inability to concentrate or make decisions
• Agitation or slowing down of movements
• Thoughts of suicide and self-harm

Read more on Understanding Depression: Signs, Causes and Types. 

You can also book a session with a therapist if you need to talk to someone.

4. Does depression go away?

Some symptoms might be easy to cope with depending on the severity and the individual’s resilience and coping abilities. However, if left untreated, severe depression symptoms can become worse. Hence, it is advised to consult with an expert to understand the symptoms of depression and what is the suitable treatment path.

5. Does depression affect sleep?

Yes, depression and sleep problems are closely linked. People with depression often experience insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. They may also experience hypersomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness.