Many Americans who suffer from depression initially feel like they are just lazy, as they cannot leave the bed. They often ask themselves: “Am I depressed or lazy?”
However, just by digging a little deeper, people can quickly determine if they suffer from depression or just being lazy. Throughout this article, you will learn how to distinguish depression and laziness and how to deal with fatigue.
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Do I Have a Mental Issue or Am I Just Lazy?
Being lazy is not a crime, but should not be confused with mental illness. Although laziness and depression seem to share some similarities on the surface, there is a key difference between them. While laziness is a simple choice, depression is not. A lazy person might not feel like tidying up his or her apartment, whereas a depressed one might not even be aware of the mess. The last thing severely depressed people care about is cleanliness.
Why Am I Lazy?
Too often, people mistakenly attribute laziness to people who suffer from mental disorders, such as depression or anxiety, or a combination of both. These people are sometimes impaired to carry out simple tasks, such as studying, working, exercising, or cleaning. However, it might take them a lifetime to seek help, especially if their environments openly label them as lazy. Calling someone lazy is nothing but deeming them as morally unacceptable and deserving of their low status.
If you have been feeling sad and/or demotivated for at least two weeks, you might be suffering from depression. Everyone feels like that from time to time, but this mental issue is more like a cloud that doesn’t let you function or think properly and stays with you for a long time. So how can you deal with fatigue caused by depression? Read on.
How Do I Stop Being Unmotivated and Lazy?
First things first. If you are suffering from depression, you need to get professional advice. Although contacting a doctor or a therapist can be daunting, it’s a step to take to put you in your way to recovery. Depression can drain your energy, so you are not likely to get active until the dark and negative cloud starts fading away.
People who suffer from this mental illness experience a decrease in energy and would much rather stay in bed. If, like many Americans at some point, you have lost interest in those activities you used to enjoy, it’s time to get in touch with a general practitioner, a psychiatrist, or a psychotherapist. Remember: it’s OK not to be OK.
Why Am I So Lazy All the Time?
By now, you have probably started to considering a mental issue as a response to this question. You find yourself unable to complete simple tasks such as cooking, doing your laundry, making your bed, or cleaning your apartment or room. You might just be suffering from depression. The good news is you will start feeling better as soon as you get professional help.
Depression does not have to last forever but needs to be assessed and monitored by mental health professionals. Don’t expect, however, to feel energetic after your first doctor appointment or therapy session. Recovery takes time, but gradually you will find yourself more active and able to tackle those tasks you could not complete before. Depression fatigue will stay for a while, but not long enough to ruin your future.
What Is the Most Reliable Symptom of Depression?
It happens to the best of us. From time to time, we feel lonely, sad unmotivated. However, when these feelings become overwhelming, they can turn our regular, active life around. If depression gets untreated, it can last for months or years and lead to suicide in 1 out of 10 cases. The symptoms can include, but are not limited to:
- Feelings of guilt, helplessness, and worthlessness
- Trouble concentrating and making decisions
- Fatigue
- Insomnia or sleeping too much
- Overeating or appetite loss
- Restlessness and irritability
- Loss of interest in things once pleasurable
- Muscular pain and headaches
Depression can affect each individual in a very different way, so there is no specific symptom that will determine if you are currently suffering from this mental illness. Nevertheless, recognizing the symptoms at an early stage is key, since half of the people who struggle with depression never get it diagnosed or treated.
High Functioning Depression
People who suffer from this type of depression are difficult to identify, as everything looks fine on the outside. They don’t miss work, they complete their tasks and keep up with social relationships. They shower regularly, comb their hair, clean their homes, and dress nicely. However, they are screaming for help inside. When they finally decide to speak up, nobody takes them seriously in their environment, because their life has not fallen apart yet.
This means they have to prove they are struggling and need professional, urgent help, even if their mood is really low, and they are constantly considering suicide. If this is your case, you should get hold of a professional straight away. A doctor or therapist will, under no circumstances, underestimate your condition.
“I am depressed and sad.” People are not generally willing to admit mental issues, as they could be mistaken as weaknesses in modern societies. However, there are loads of professionals out there that understand and know how to treat depression. Rely on them and ignore any advice that does not come from a doctor or a qualified therapist, as it could interfere with your recovery.
Am I Depressed or Lazy? Depression and Stigma
The roots of stigma are in human fear or ignorance and make people link mental illnesses to violence, incompetence, or unpredictability. However, as individuals realize their friends, relatives, or neighbors, and celebrities are dealing with depression and talk openly about it, their attitudes begin to change.
Eventually, the stigma of mental illness will fade. Too often, individuals who suffer from serious mental conditions have felt isolated and cared for outside traditional health care in the past. Today, hospitals address mental issues as effectively as they treat trauma or cardiac arrest.
The moment to talk about mental illness has arrived, and it’s your turn. The process of openly discussing mental conditions often unexpectedly results in peer and support, leading to empowerment and boosting self-esteem.