Coping With The Unexpected

Have you ever been cruising down the streets of life and everything seems to be going smooth and out of nowhere you hit a bump in the road causing you to slow down or maybe even come to an unexpected screeching halt? I am referring to being confronted with an event that has stretched the limits of your normal ability to cope and continue your daily routine. I would dare say most people could raise their hands to that question.

Loss of a job, loss of a loved one, divorce, serious illness, experiencing a traumatic event such as a crime, accident or a natural disaster could all be considered a stressful situation that could potentially overwhelm your normal coping mechanisms. The event could even be something that might be perceived as being positive (marriage, starting a new job), but the stress associated with the event has exceeded your ability to cope.

The event doesn’t necessarily even have to happen to you, it could happen to a loved one and you are affected by watching them go through it.

When we go through these situations we naturally experience some sort of emotional and mental response. Every person reacts differently and there really is no right or wrong way to feel. You might even find yourself saying, “I feel depressed.” But are you really experiencing true depression?

Well, you could be experiencing what is called Situational Depression which is a short-term condition that occurs when a person has great difficulty coping with or adjusting to a particular source of stress like those mentioned above. It has also been referred to as adjustment disorder rather than true depression. However, that does not mean it should be ignored. If situational depression goes untreated, it could develop into major depression.

So, how can you know if you might be experiencing situational depression? Ask yourself if you have any of these symptoms:

• Weight loss or gain — increase or decrease in appetite
• A depressed mood
• Not sleeping or sleeping too much
• Loss of pleasure in previously enjoyed activities
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feeling restless or slowed down
• Trouble concentrating or difficulty making decisions
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feelings of excessive guilt
• Recurrent thoughts of death, thoughts of suicide with or without a plan

AND
Have you had a stressful situation occur within the last three months before your symptoms developed?

AND
Do you think your symptoms are worse than you would expect, or are you having trouble functioning in your job, school or social relationships?

If you have any of these symptoms and can answer yes to these questions, then you probably are experiencing situational depression and could benefit from therapy or at the very least some self-help efforts to make you feel better. These are all symptoms that both situational and clinical depression share. However, unlike clinical depression, where you are overwhelmed by symptoms for a long time, situational depression should go away once you have adapted to your new situation.

The healing process after a traumatic event takes time, especially if you have experienced a personal loss. Several ways you might find helpful to cope with depression following a trauma are:

• Allowing yourself time to grieve. Don’t hide or deny your feelings.
• Talk to friends and family members about how you feel. Ask for support from people you trust.
• Keep to your daily routine. Even if you don’t feel like it, do your best to eat balanced meals and get plenty of rest.
• Stay physically active. Even light exercise such as walking can help minimize physical effects of stress.
• Join a support group.
• Don’t use alcohol or illegal drugs to cope.
• Spend time doing things you enjoy, (painting, working in your garden, watching a movie, spending time with friends, listening to music or reading a book before bed instead of watching the news).

Some people with situational depression continue to experience symptoms for longer than six months. This is especially common when another emotionally or physically traumatic event occurs during the normal recovery period.

Frequently, people who could benefit from therapy will not seek it because they think that their reactions are normal and that it will pass or even feel ashamed. While depression is something that can be considered normal and experienced by almost everyone at some point in their lives, that does not mean that you can’t benefit from help dealing with the situation that is causing your distress. Your perception and perspective of life and it’s circumstances are often what dictates your mood. If you can change your thoughts, you can change your feelings and often your behavior. That is where therapy can be of great help.

It has been found that people who are depressed because of difficulty adjusting to their new situation are often the ones who respond most quickly and successfully to treatment. Once they are able to isolate some of the stresses and causes of their depression, they feel relieved. Sometimes it is the anguish about the fact that they are depressed and the feeling of being out of control that can make the situation worse. So, knowing why frees them up to examine how they can improve their situational depression by thinking about the stress differently.

If you or a loved one experience ongoing depression in the aftermath of a major life change, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (616) 516-1570. I would like to help you deal successfully with your situation and overcome your symptoms.