Depression is a sneaky pain that, little by little, ends up taking all our time. It starts with low mood, negative thinking, apathy, the willingness to isolate at home home without meeting people, dysregulation of eating and sleeping habits and difficulty in focusing.
In some cases, this is to be considered a normal reaction to some difficult life events, but it’s supposed to fade out after some time.
If instead you are realising that you are taking too long to get back on track, or this constellation of symptoms doesn’t seem to be related to a particular situation, it’s likely that it might develop into a clinical depression.
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Some people may start feeling even too comfortable in this state of inactivity and isolation, in which, though, negative emotions keep on feeding negative thoughts and vice versa, with a high risk of spiralling down. As weeks go by, social networking and relationships are more and more impoverished and reaching out for help becomes more and more difficult and seen as pointless. Also, it can happen to look for emotional comfort and distraction in junk-food, alcohol, drugs, or through binge-watching or binge-gaming, whilst being less and less active and productive at work or at school.
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That’s the time to call a therapist, do not wait. A therapist is the right person to talk to, who will not judge you, but rather take you through your pain, break the cocoon and find a way out.