Are You Depressed Or Just Tired?

How are you holding up lately?  COVID19 has changed everyone’s lives.  What is most interesting about this time in 2020 is that no one in the world has been unscathed.  I read about this really remote village that has very little if any civilized interactions – and even they have been impacted by COVID19.

Don’t get me wrong there are many things I love about these changes:

• I get to spend more time with my kids (in theory)… We are under the same roof but pretty much ignoring each other all day long while I work and they do their schooling.  But being under the same roof I know they are safe and healthy.
• My dog gets to go to work with me everyday – in my home office.  There is nothing better than working with you best friend by your side all day, every day.
• We are saving so much money – not buying school meals, not eating fast food, not buying gas and no money spent on entertainment out of our home.
• Fortunately we have not lost our jobs, we have had the option to work from home.
• Even medical appointments are almost all now virtual.  I have often availed myself of opportunities to use telemedicine but those virtual visits were never with my own doctors.  Now even my specialists, the kids psychiatrists, our primary care physicians and even group counseling can all be handled through virtual type forums.

Struggles with these changes:

• It is very difficult to work from home with children/teens also schooling from home.  Our teens are special education and often cannot work as independently as I’d like.  And they are clearly struggling with depression being away from their friends and family.
• We have three generations in our home and three of us are in high risk categories.  Simple tasks like going to the grocery store are very stressful for everyone.  At first we would use shopping services but with all the fees and tips it quickly became cost prohibitive.
• Even emergency dental services are not being offered and of course we had/have an emergency with our son.  He has been a trooper and we can’t wait til the dentist offices open back up.
• “Elective” surgeries are not happening – but in my case an elective option quickly became an emergency situation.
• Working from home without my team with me makes communication much more difficult.  We don’t all have the equipment we need from home; we can’t bounce ideas off one another as easily and everything seems to take so much more time for the same tasks.
• Others have lost their jobs.  This seems to be a double edged sword for them.  There is the panic of being furloughed or laid off – but then they are eligible for the extra $600 per week and actually make more being on unemployment than if they get called back.
• And even others are essential personnel – whether they are in healthcare, helping to feed the thousands of meals to families each week, working in the essential stores to help keep us all supplied with food, and more.

Whatever your struggles are there is help – even in these times of social isolation.  You can seek online therapy, individual therapy or even group counseling to help you.

Depressed or Tired

Depression doesn’t always mean you are suicidal.  You can easily be mentally and emotionally exhausted and be depressed.  Tired – at some point you will feel rested.  Below are some signs of depression to watch for:

• Are you now more easily irritated than before?
• Do you no longer enjoy things you used to…You can’t get that motivation back.
• Anxiety and panic attacks – either happening or happening more often.
• Are you having troubles falling asleep or staying asleep?
• If you are normally patient but right now you seem to have no patience for family and friends.
• Indigestion is happening more frequently or a constant stomachache.
• Do you start crying unexpectedly?
• Do you feel empty and just spending your days going through the motions?

If you said yes to these – this is far more than just being tired.