Depression As A Signal to Look Deeper

We’re used to the negative side of depression but could there be a positive side to the beast? I thought of this recently in terms of depressive symptoms sometimes being a signal – a sign to look more closely at certain things in my life.

Depression and Underlying Feelings

In recent years, my husband and I have discussed moving out of the city in which we live. My husband was very much in favor of the move and I tried to echo his enthusiasm. But I couldn’t deny that each time we ramped up talk about the move, I fell victim to a cloud of anxiety and depressed feelings. I couldn’t shake the pattern at first.

After discussing the matter in therapy and a lot of soul searching, I realized I wasn’t being completely honest with myself or my husband about how I felt about the move. I wasn’t ready to leave our current home for many reasons. But part of me had been afraid to acknowledge that.

Being More Honest About What We Feel

Without realizing it, I had been covering up my real feelings with a smiley-face sticker, so to speak. But my depressive symptoms wouldn’t let me get away with it. They kept resurfacing until I was ready to face them and what they meant for the potential move. It hasn’t always been easy, but since then my husband and I have been talking more openly about what we both need to be happy, whether we decide to move in the future or not.

Depressive symptoms aren’t always about our underlying feelings or things we need to consider more closely. But for the times that they may be, try to be gentle with yourself. Feelings develop over time so try to give yourself time and patience as you’re figuring things out.

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