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Why Am I So Depressed All The Time

Updated by Rich

Why Am I Feeling So Depressed – Introduction

Why am I so Depressed?

Do you ask yourself this question ever?

I am going to give you a couple of ideas to mull over to answer your question of why you’re feeling so depressed today or all of the time.

What Is The Cause Of Depression

Today you are in a state of depression.

How did you get into this state of depression?

I believe that there are a couple of paths that lead to this state, and once you identify them, you have numerous tools to get you out.

But in the meantime, your question is how you got into this state of depression in the first place?

One answer is the circumstances or your biochemical/genetic makeup. 

No matter which one it is, neither of them can be changed. 

Everything that you have experienced in your lifetime, they have happened, and once an event transpires, that is it, it is frozen in the past. You cannot change what has happened. 

I believe that depression, primarily when it is a result of external events, can drown you like a flood.

Initially, you get hit wave by wave of incidents that knock you down, and then finally, you are clobbered by the straw that breaks the camel’s back, the final blow.

If your depression is a consequence of external events, then what has happened is that waves of circumstances have sunk you to the point of drowning.

Why am I so Depressed – Two

If your depression is based on your chemical makeup, you will most likely not produce a sufficient amount of the chemical serotonin as reported in Medical News Today:

Fast facts on serotonin

Here are some critical points about serotonin. 

More detail and supporting information is in the main article.

  • Serotonin is a chemical created by the human body. It works as a neurotransmitter.
  • It is commonly regarded as a chemical that is responsible for maintaining mood balance.
  • A biochemical conversion process creates serotonin.
  • Serotonin is manufactured in the brain and the intestines. 
  • The majority of the body’s serotonin, between 80-90%, can be found in the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Serotonin that is used inside the brain must be produced within it.
  • It is thought that serotonin can affect mood and social behavior, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory, and sexual desire and function.
  • An association has been made between depression and serotonin.
  • Scientists remain unsure whether decreased serotonin levels contribute to Depression or Depression, causing a decrease in serotonin levels.
  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can affect the levels of serotonin in the body.
  • If excessive amounts of serotonin are accumulated within the body, then serotonin syndrome can occur.

Other ways to increase body serotonin levels include mood induction, light, exercise, and diet. ((1 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232248.php))

As you might have guessed, many antidepressants on the market aim to boost your serotonin levels.

Depression Relief Action Plan

Now you know the answer to why you’re struggling with depression. 

Either because of events that have transpired in your life, and you have been finally overwhelmed by your thoughts and memories that you replay frequently or because of your chemical makeup. 

A third reason can be a combination of them both. 

Many people suffer from adverse life experiences without falling into depression, so clearly, there is a vulnerability in the makeup of a person who does.

Whatever the case is, you are now in a state of depression. 

How and why you got into this state of depression is less important than how to get out. 

Depression is decadent misery, rich in the sense of being in hell without even having died. 

Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide. ((https://www.suicide.org/suicide-causes.html)) 

Next to dying because of depression, living in depression is the next worst scenario because, as you know, living in depression is no picnic.

The action plan to get you out of depression has several major components. 

Even though I initially said that this post is only for answering your question of why am I so depressed, I can’t stop there because of the urgency of taking steps now, today, to get you on your way out of depression.

Mind and Body Fitness One Day at a Time 

What does fitness have to do with leaving the ‘state’ of depression and landing in the land of the living? 

Because getting fit is your action plan to fight depression!

Every day you want to make gradual, if not a spectacular improvement in your fitness. 

You will see that you will be able to not only stop your descent into a more profound depression, but you will also be ready to start climbing out of the pit of depression.

Actionable Steps To Get Fit

1. Commit to stop descending into further depression. 

How? 

By committing! 

Make a choice. 

Use your POWER, because no pill on the planet will give you more power than you already have within yourself. 

Make a choice! 

Say that you have had enough and commit to no longer going deeper down into your depression.

2. Instead of replaying past failures, start to visualize and affirm a healthier present and future. 

That is right; you are going to have to start thinking differently as well as speaking creatively. 

You need to build a new virtual home with renovated rooms that will motivate you to take further action every day to attain your goals. 

So, instead of replaying the scenes in your mind of let’s say your divorce, or job loss, or that you are now 275 pounds, now you have to see yourself building a new life with a new career, new relationships, and a new physique.

As mentioned above, mood induction is a natural way to increase body serotonin levels. 

Alterations in thought, either through psychotherapy or self-induction, could increase serotonin levels if the interaction between serotonin synthesis and mood is a two-way relationship. 

The better your mood is, the more serotonin you have, and vice versa.

3. Instead of hiding in your man cave or she-shed, get yourself out into the light, into the sun for more light, and if you cannot get any daylight, start to supplement with vitamin D3. 

A few studies have suggested that light can be used to treat depression.

Body Fitness Actionable Steps

1. Start moving! 

Take a walk, go for a swim, play outside.  

I know you are not in the mood, and if you are already on antidepressants, you are likely suffering from dry mouth and a lack of energy, but push yourself to get exercise. 

As noted in the above article of Medical News Today, exercise has an antidepressant effect, and some research has suggested that it can increase brain serotonin function.

2. Start eating real food. 

Foods with higher levels of tryptophan than others are associated with improved mood and cognition, possibly due to increased serotonin levels. Better nutrition will result in a better body, and a stronger, healthier body will produce more serotonin. Foods with the highest levels of tryptophan include spinach, eggs, soy protein and tofu.((https://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000079000000000000000.html))

Why am I so Depressed – Build your mind and body fitness one day at a time

Depression feels overwhelming, but do not give up!

You have the power to change your thoughts, how you speak, the food you eat, and whether you move your body or not in any form of exercise.

Think of yourself as building a new you, and once you do that, you know that the construction is a process one day at a time, you have to lay the foundation and put up the structure, and this takes time.

You will have to go at your own pace but you are the one who is in control. 

You can rebuild your mind and body, and once you are on that path I hope that your original question of why am I so depressed ceases to be an issue.

Instead, you and others will benefit from the fruits of your labor, a new, more productive, and happy you.

What’s Next

Learn the 10 Reasons Deadlifts are the Best Natural Alternative To Prozac.

And please check out the New SIGECAPS Mnemonic: A Guide to Help Major Depressive Disorder, because it could change your life!

Related Posts to Help Depression:

About Squats and Deadlifts:

Squat and Deadlift Workouts and Programs:

Never Give Up on Getting Fitter Than You Are Today

New Infographic from HashiMashi.com to help manage depression:

SIGECAPS Infographic How to Help Depression Naturally Image Credit - HashiMashi.com-min
SIGECAPS Infographic How to Help Depression Naturally Image Credit – HashiMashi.com

 

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About The Author

Rich Hashimashi AuthorRich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer), an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and the author of Crossing the Bridge From Depression to Life. At the age of 55, he lost 75 pounds in 6 months, and discovered if you transform your body, you can change your life. You can read about his story here and send Rich a message here.

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