The Link Between Stress and Depression
Depression can be related to a lot of different mental health disorders, from anxiety to PTSD, but it also has a link with stress. Your stress can lead to depression, and depression can cause a large amount of stress. Here are some important things to know about this link.
Stress and Depression Are Related
You should understand that stress and depression are very closely related. The reason they are linked is because both stress and depression can cause an overactive response in your brain and body’s stress response mechanism. Not only does stress cause elevated amounts of cortisol to be produced, but depression can as well. Cortisol is a type of stress hormone, so this is what causes the feelings of stress, but also anxiety and depression. This is why having stress can lead to depression, and being depressed can lead to stress.
Stress is a Major Risk Factor and Trigger
Also be aware that being stressed out is a big risk factor and trigger for depression. You might not have chronic depression where it seems to come around frequently, but that you only get depressed when you are going through difficult times. People sometimes refer to this as ‘situational depression’, but it is more commonly related to stress. Stress is also a trigger for depression, so if you are already prone to depressive episodes, keeping your stress low is important.
You Need to Treat Both
When you have two different mental health conditions at the same time, it is important that you are treating both of them. While some treatments overlap, they aren’t all exactly the same. While natural remedies like exercising and journaling are great for both, depression may also require medication from your doctor to talking to a therapist. Make sure you are really focusing on both your stress and depression so that you can stop this endless cycle of misery and helplessness.
Tips For Managing Stress
Since stress is a big trigger and risk factor for depression, it makes sense that you would want to try and avoid it in order to keep your depression symptoms from getting out of hand. There are many different ways to manage stress, from writing in a journal to taking a walk every day. If there are people in your life that are causing your stress, it might be time to start spending less time with them, and instead socializing waith people who are more positive and make you feel better, not worse.
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