Everyone has experienced moments where they felt depressed, whether it was from something said or a build up of situations that brought you to that low moment. No one can say that they have not experience that feeling sometime during their life, but different from the normal experiences that life throw at you, there are those who live with serious mental mood disorders like, bipolar disorder, perinatal depression, clinical depression, and the most common one is called Major Depression Disorder.

These mood disorders can be very detrimental to your health as they can not only affect your mood but affect your entire body. The physical aspects of any mood disorders are usually dismissed by others as a lack of self-control or that they should just change their mindset and everything will magically improve, but these words usually lead those with depression to sink further into a hole that is very difficult to get out of. The physical symptoms of mood disorders can change from person to person, one may have sleep disturbances like insomnia or chronic fatigue along with poor concentration, and another can have their weight fluctuate due to overeating or loss of appetite. These physical symptoms are annoying to say the least, but the troublesome parts of mood disorders are the mental aspect. Many struggle with a loss of interest in usually-enjoyed activities or hobbies when they are in their depressive moods, but the feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness or hopelessness do start weighing one down, especially after something is said to them, its like that the other person is re-confirming what you already think and that is dangerous as if these negative emotions continue, thoughts of death become more of an occurrence which can lead some to suicide.

Let’s talk more about what its like on a personal day to day experience… it’s completely horrible and annoying to have it every hour of every day of every waking moment. Dramatic, isn’t it? Well, for those without a mood disorder, it may seem so, but to those with a mood disorder, its nothing short of reality. It’s something that many struggle with to be able to navigate daily life so to appear like normal to everyone else, and it gets real tiring. Mood disorders affect all aspects of life, whether its in social, romantic, family, or business relationships. It takes a toll to be able to function like everyone else why there are intrusive thoughts and physical symptoms appearing almost daily.

If the public knew more about mood disorders and what it does to a person, help would be much more readily available as its more discussed about. However, even though this is slowly happening with all the programs out to help those who suffer from depression and other mood disorders, the public still treats these as a silent illness and don’t consider what people who have these disorders go though. Their indirect or direct words and actions will inevitably cause harm. Most people with some sort of mood disorder tend to get their feelings and concerns dismissed as one can get out of depression is easy, that all they must do is keep themselves busy and have a positive outlook and not be dragged down by negative thoughts. This is something that shouldn’t be said to someone suffering from depression as getting out of those low moods is not easy or quick to get out of, there is a lot of struggling involved and there are times when you may be feeling better and want to interact with the world but then get told that they are not sick and are just lazy or looking for excuses not to do things. Comments like these will tip the person back into depression or allow their intrusive thoughts to resurface with a strong voice than last time. It’s a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped, and to help improve this cycle, the public must start learning more about mental illnesses and how they truly affect those with them otherwise it’s a long a strenuous uphill battle.

Struggling with depression and other mood disorders isn’t just for the public to assist with, the person themselves needs resolve to improve their own mental health and overall life. Without that self-drive nothing can change, and the cycle will continuously spin. Some ways to help with mental heath, and this is not just for those with mood disorders, but for everyone.

The best start is to always find a good listener, they aren’t there to fix you but to be a third party and listen to what you have to say, to help guide you towards an answer that will help you heal. This step may be the hardest one to overcome as many refuse or are afraid to coming terms that they have a problem and that they need external help, but once done it is oddly satisfying. Expressing yourself is needed for healthy mental state as holding in your concerns and feelings just make you drown in them which causes you to spiral in your thoughts and problems over and over, and this makes everything worse.

Another big one is exercise, and no, not that type of heavy exercise that you would do in a gym. All you would need to do is a take a 15 to 30-minute walk everyday, usually around greenery is the best to soak up that nature. This is done so you aren’t cooped up inside all day with no change in stimulation, the fresh air and greenery will help re-set and relax your nerves and does wonders on your mental health. If you want to do some harder exercises, by all means and go ahead but do it in moderation with a group as staying in contact with others is another healthy way of coping with mood disorders.

Lastly, try to eat healthy and drink plenty of water. Too much processed and fast food is not in favour for those with mood disorders, even if they are quick and easy to make or get. Having a proper healthy diet does help in the long run with not just your physical health but mental health too. The better your diet is, the more energetic you will feel with a healthy food routine, and if there are days where you just don’t want to eat, a healthy and simple snack will go a long way.

If you are not sure if you have a mood disorder, you can check it out here. If you are a student of BCIT, you can visit here for all sorts of health and mental health resources to help you on your way to a healthier lifestyle and outlook.