Dealing with Feelings of Depression

Feeling sadness is a normal byproduct of our complicated lives. When you feel very sad we call it “depression” and feeling mild depression now and then is also normal.

Life for a teen is complex. It’s loaded with events, situations, relationships and surprises, which cause depression at times. You can’t be fully prepared for all that happens. You can’t avoid some depression as you grow up. Between friends and parents, teachers and other authorities there are just too many frustrating things, which create confusion and problems. 

Mild temporary depression (“the blues”) lasts less than three days, and sometimes the best way to deal with it is to just let time heal the hurt. 

When you get too sad, you should TALK. Talk to friends, talk to parents, and talk to a teacher or to a counselor. Sometimes when you look closely at a problem it becomes much simpler, less distressing and more understandable. 

Sometimes expressing anger is a way to deal with depression. Psychiatrists have said that depression is often anger turned inward. Often the depression occurs because of some complex situation where you feel that you, or someone you care about, is being treated unfairly. If you look closely at it, you might see that instead of feeling depressed, you could feel angry. Anger is often the opposite of depression. For instance, you could be feeling down and depressed about breaking up with a boy or girlfriend - but a close, calm look might result in anger rather than depression. Try stating the situation in terms of the injustice you may be feeling (“after all I did for him, I deserved something better”) and as you do this exercise you may feel the depression lifts and irritation replaces it. Then deal with the anger by being assertive about your needs and looking for ways to correct the injustice. But be careful! Don’t get too angry because that becomes another problem. 

There is a lot you can do to manage feelings of depression, but sometimes the depression has existed too long and has run too deeply. In that case, don’t hesitate to check with your parents and get to a therapist or psychologist. These people have special skills and can help a lot to point the way to feeling much better about your life. 

For more information on this topic, take a look at these articles.
~ Controlling Your Anger 
~ Stop Anger from Taking Over