Now that I have grovelled to you about my commitment issues I found something I really wanted to talk to you about today. I'm going to use a little internet research from more reputable sources than my own brain to break down "low mood" a little bit.
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Low mood is something I wanted to talk about because it is a little different from depression and is something that I find wasn't really talked about very much. I wanted to make sure the facts I put on this blog are actually solid ones and that I don't claim to know about things which a doctor or specialist would- I just want to offer advice and share what I know about issues that a lot of people will deal with in their lives. So, here I checked out the NHS website (in my opinion one of the best most straight forward for advice about anything health related) and their facts about low mood. I read a lot of websites when I was trying to figure out how to fix my issues and feel better last year, trying to find out why I was feeling the way I was, and if being so constantly miserable was normal.
When I was looking around I read a lot of opinions and a lot of information from sources I didn't recognise, so I wanted to get back to basics, a medical opinion. Although when I was trying to work things out I flatly refused to see a doctor, I did accept that it was a good idea to address my issues and research them. The NHS website is a great place to do this- they give straightforward factual information and a lot of advice and links to help people with whatever they're going through, even though at times I found them limited I very much like their website. So I thought I'd share the information that they have regarding low mood.
They explain that
"A general low mood can include:
- sadness
- an anxious feeling
- worry
- tiredness
- low self-esteem
- frustration
- anger
Normal feelings, feeling everyone has, that we have all had to deal with at various times in our own lives. I want to just address the concept of low mood because I really think its something that a lot of people experience a lot in their daily lives. Every single person I know, regardless of how together their lives appear to be, has experiences some if not all of these emotions and low moods. A few days in a week where it just feels like everything is getting on top of them and it drives us a little bit crazy. The NHS website goes on to explain:
"However, a low mood will tend to improve after a short time. Making some small changes in your life, such as resolving a difficult situation or talking about your problems and getting more sleep, can improve your mood."
This is some information that I found incredibly comforting when I read it, the idea of a kind of temporary emotional discomfort rather than this negative grey state of being. I like the idea of things that make me feel bad being temporary, that you can switch your mood or step into a diferent mindset after a period of time. I kept on reading and the website went on to explain that low mood and depression are not necessarily the same thing, but that constant low mood can be a sign of depression. They differentiate between the two and explain depression can be characterised by:
- continuous low mood or sadness
- feeling hopeless and helpless
- having low self-esteem
- feeling tearful
- feeling guilt-ridden
- feeling irritable and intolerant of others
- having no motivation or interest in things
- finding it difficult to make decisions
- not getting any enjoyment out of life
- having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself
- feeling anxious or worried
This is how I look at it: if you look mental health like other kinds of health it helps to understand it better I think. So bare with me and this metaphor for a second.
The way I see it is this: deteriorating mental health could be like pressure on a muscle, putting the muscle under strain and causing discomfort etc. This can be like low mood. With changes to lifestyle etc you can relive that kind of tension on your body, you can relax it, adjust aspects of life to accommodate or deal with things comfortably- like physio. You can do psychological yoga or mind pilates or something to get yourself out of the aches and pains you feel. In my own head I feel like that's what low mood is to me- mental aches and pains. Signals that you aren't holding up so well. But those aches and pains are temporary and they pass and you can get on with it. You can make changes so that you can deal with those blips and you can carry on going about your own little life.
I think serious depression or anxiety can be described as a kind of breaking point. You tear that muscle or you pull it really badly, you're forced to address the issue because it's left you in a kind of vulnerable position. It's after a panic attack or a night awake just crying or hurting and you realise you've crossed over a line. The aches and pains stop becoming temporary and start becoming this niggling sensation in the back of your mind that doesn't really leave. It becomes a prevalent part of your daily life that you can't shake, and that seems to keep getting progressively worse and having a greater impact on your day to day. I think coming back from that, building yourself back up is the hardest at that point, and you fall off a lot but slowly and surely you end up getting things into an order.
It helps, I think to look at your own issues like that. Like a metaphor, like an injury, that way you can almost step back from it and separate a little from yourself. Your low mood are a bruise, a sprain, not a significant and deep rooted part of you. Your body, like your mind is resilient, it'll repair and recuperate if you let it, if you help it.
Let your body fix itself, let your mind and heart recover.
Mental health is still health, treat yourself with the kindness and respect a patient needs.
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