No one feels good all the time. But, depressed people’s joy is significantly compromised. There is a sense of emotional unease even when life is going well. They don’t necessarily express sadness. Instead, their emotions may externalize as anger, pessimism, or apathy.

Depressed people often have a short range of emotions. For example, if happiness is a 1–10 continuum, their feelings may range from four to six no matter how life is going. Getting promoted may take them to a six, and getting stood up may take them to a 4. They may never experience extreme sadness or happiness. Consequently, they may not even realize they are depressed.

…this article provides insight into how you may be hurting yourself emotionally.

Moreover, people who identify with depression may not realize they have habits that negatively contribute to their emotional state. When people feel bad, they look in their environment for culprits – significant others, jobs, money, or physical health. People aren’t inclined to consider how their lifestyle may negatively impact their emotional health. So, this article provides insight into how you may be hurting yourself emotionally.

Excessive Time on Social Media

I remember when people read newspapers on the train, chatted with the person waiting at the bus stop, and took notes in meetings because they were paying attention. Those activities happen with decreased frequency with each new app that becomes available. We have become more intimately tied to our electronic devices than people. That’s not so good.

Studies show a significant relationship between time spent on social media and depression. We can’t say for sure that social media causes depression. But we can caution people who spend much time on social media to pay attention to their mental state. If you are experiencing depression, spending more time on social media is not likely to help you. Spending less time on social media may help.

It takes more effort to avoid social media than to connect to it. Computers, watches, phones, tablets, and televisions urge us to connect with strangers and friends 24 hours a day. We must turn off alerts and deselect updates to opt out. But, a false sense of importance comes with the alert; someone wants your attention. Only, it’s not someone, but some thing.

Social media shows us what’s popular, funny, and extraordinary. It doesn’t show what’s real.

A thing is calling for your attention. Social media shows you what others are doing, saying, and thinking, and it’s difficult not to compare or compete. The problem is that you will lose because you compare a snapshot of others’ lives to your entire situation. Social media shows us what’s popular, funny, and extraordinary. It doesn’t show what’s real.

Nothing on social media is worthy of comparison to your real life. But your brain doesn’t know that. It processes whatever information it is exposed to. So expose it to experiences that work in your favor, reading books, attending live theatre, or dancing to connect with your body. Limit your time on social media to prevent depression.

The more time you spend on social media, the more valuable the information on social media becomes to you, and the more you compare. Your brain confuses value with frequency. The more frequently you have an experience, the more valuable it becomes, even if it doesn’t bring you joy. That applies to the following habits as well.

Using Recreational Cannabis

You’ve probably heard the rumor about Snoop Dog giving up smoking weed. No matter. What is more interesting is the standing glorification of substance use to feel good. Before I give the impression that I’m anti-marijuana, let me assure you that “some of my best friends are cannabis users.” Nevertheless, it can have adverse effects on your mental state.

Marijuana slows down certain functions of the central nervous system to create a sense of relaxation, calmness, and euphoria. This relief is a depressant effect, though it can act as a stimulant or hallucinogen in some cases. Although individual responses to marijuana vary widely, frequent or heavy use of marijuana in susceptible individuals can lead to a range of mental health concerns, including depression.

Your decision to use recreational cannabis likely had little to do with it being legal. However, studies show a 20% increase in its use since its legalization. Moreover, an estimated 30% of users are abusers, meaning they experience unwanted effects, including depression. If you experience symptoms of depression, emotional dysregulation or have difficulty coping, cannabis is not your friend.

If you are a cannabis consumer and have no symptoms of depression, then this doesn’t apply to you. But you probably wouldn’t be reading this. So, don’t blame the bearer of the bad news. Try new coping approaches, such as therapy, meditation, or exercise.

Excessive Alcohol

Everything said about cannabis applies to alcohol. It’s been legal long enough that we forget it’s a drug. We don’t ask for liquid drugs with our lunch or dinner. As a seldom drinker, I sometimes feel out of place when I refuse alcohol. When I turn down a drink because “I don’t drink when I have to drive,” I get strange looks. I’ve learned to add the excuse that I have the tolerance of a toddler to avoid the third and fourth requests for my participation.

We generously consume alcohol, and most users don’t suffer from it. However, if you struggle with depression, alcohol is not your friend. One-third of people who are diagnosed with depression also have a drinking problem. Slow down your use of alcohol to evaluate its effects. If you feel more depressed from abstaining from alcohol, ironically, alcohol is likely contributing to the depression. Develop healthier coping and self-soothing techniques and heal what is hurting.

Antidepressants

“The benefits of antidepressants seem to be minimal and possibly without any importance to the average patient with major depressive disorder.” This was the conclusion by Janus Jakobsen in a 2020 publication in the Evidence-Based Medicine journal. Other professional papers render the same conclusion, although some studies prove antidepressant medications to be effective in many patients.

Of greater concern is that antidepressants can cause depression symptoms to worsen. Ultimately, the use of pharmaceuticals to treat depression is trial and error. The right “cocktail” may be a single or combined prescription and dosage. The patient determines its efficacy.

If medication is relieving your depression symptoms, then it’s working for you. I can attest to its effectiveness, since I once tried to stop taking my medication, only to find myself feeling unwarranted rage and sadness again. I took Zoloft for 11 months before finding an adequate replacement. It did not worsen my symptoms.

However, I have known my share of people who continue to experience profound depression while taking medication for it. They feel like they’re at least trying to feel better, even though it’s not working. But, there are other things to try.

I eventually replaced Zoloft with exercise, intense exercise. Fitness turned out to be an excellent alternative for me. There are other alternatives, too, including therapy, which I added years later. Lifestyle changes, such as a less stressful job, new relationships, or meditation, may also positively affect emotional wellness.