The Relationship Between Stress and Depression

Depression is a very common mental condition. It is often caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that makes a person sad for no particular reason. In some people, depression is always present, but they can self manage – that is, until something goes wrong in life and the depression flares up. For others, a daily medication helps with the problem and they feel fine. If you have depression, you may want to think about the link between stress and depression if you think there is no reason for your feelings.

Stress can be a good thing for the body and the mind. It puts us on alert that we have to do something different, tells us that a solution is needed, and can move us to make changes or choices that need to be made. However, stress can also turn bad when it becomes overwhelming, causing anxiety and a host of other issues that can hurt us both mentally and physically. It can make you sick, and there is a link between an overabundance of stress and depression. If you don't understand where your depression is coming from, take a look at the stress in your life.

You know you are under too much stress when you feel the burden of your worries throughout the day, and perhaps into the night when you should be sleeping. The stress is not causing you to find a solution, it may be overwhelming you to the point where you feel there is no easy solution. You may feel stuck in whatever situation you find yourself in. That type of stress, the type that leaves you feeling as if there is no way out and no end in sight, is the type that causes depression. Without a short term fix, stress and depression are going to go hand in hand.

In order to manage stress and depression, you have to do a few things, and they are not easy things. They seem easy, but for the person in the situation, there are no easy answers. The source of the stress has to go, and that is not always possible. Perhaps you have a problem child or are dealing with an illness in either yourself or someone you love. You may have issues at work, but you simply can not leave your job. This type of sticky situation can happen to anyone throughout life, and most deal with this type of inescapable stress at least once in life. Even happy and well adjusted folks get stuck in a stress rut once in a while.

If you have never felt that you were depressed, the feelings that come with overwhelming stress may feel new to you and you may not know what it is and why you are feeling the way that you do. Those that have stress and depression may simply be overwhelmed and the answers are easier than they seem. This is a great time to sort things out with the help of a therapist. Once you can separate your depression from the stress, or once you can connect the two, digging your way out is going to be so much easier.