Forcing Yourself to Be Happy is a Warning Sign of Depression

HealthyPlace Mental Health Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Forcing Yourself to Be Happy is a Warning Sign of Depression
• Faking Happiness: You're Only Fooling Yourself
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Stand Up for Mental Health
• Latest Mental Health News

Forcing Yourself to Be Happy is a Warning Sign of Depression

When someone is feeling depressed, it takes a lot of effort to show the world they're okay. More times than not, individuals struggling with depression symptoms wear a mask of happiness to hide the true emotions that are stirring inside of them. When you force yourself to be happy, that's a warning sign that something is wrong. It isn't healthy to try to convince everyone around you that you are okay when, in truth, you are the absolute opposite.

Faking Happiness: You're Only Fooling Yourself

There is a difference between telling yourself you're happy and being proactive and making that happiness happen. You can't just work on convincing those around you that you are happy, you must work towards that happiness so you convince yourself of its importance. It's important to find ways to reach the point where you don't need to force out a smile, but so it comes naturally and comfortably.

By finding appropriate depression coping skills, you can work towards not having to prove to everyone how you feel, but to actually feel the way you deserve to. It's okay to admit to yourself you are unhappy when you are feeling depressed or low. However, when you feel that way constantly and must put on a happy face for those around you, that's when it becomes something that must be worked on.

Related Articles Dealing with Depression Warning Signs and Symptoms

• Am I Depressed? Take A Depression Test
• Pain of Depression: Physical Symptoms of Depression
• High-Functioning Bipolar Disorder
• Depression Self-Help (video)

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: Do you pretend to be happy when you’re really not? And, if so, how do you work yourself out of that state? We invite you to participate by commenting and sharing your feelings, experiences and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page and on the HealthyPlace Google+ page.

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Share our Stories

At the top and bottom of all our stories, you'll find social share buttons for Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest and other social sites. If you find a particular story, video, psychological test or other HealthyPlace feature helpful, there's a good chance others in need will too. Please share.

We also get many inquiries about our linking policy. If you have a website or blog, you can link to any page on the HealthyPlace website without asking us beforehand.

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Bipolar Anger: How To Handle Your Bipolar Relative's Anger
2. Why People Think Mental Illness is “All in Your Head”
3. Stop Cutting Yourself! Here's How

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• When Do You Need Inpatient Treatment For Bipolar Disorder? (Mental Health Treatment Circle Blog)
• Tips to Beat Depression This Winter and Depression and Getting Into the Present Moment (Coping with Depression Blog)
• The Anxious Voice in My Head and Bipolar and Anxiety Are Not My Identity (Anxiety-Schmanxiety Blog)
• Bipolar and Displays of Emotion (Breaking Bipolar Blog)
• Mental Illness Validation: “I Believe You” (Recovering From Mental Illness Blog)
• PTSD and Your Lost Self: 3 Ways to Reconnect (Trauma! A PTSD Blog)
• Self-Worth and Building Self-Esteem (Building Self-Esteem Blog)
• Mental Health Stigma in Your Relationship (Surviving Mental Health Stigma Blog)
• Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous: It’s Not Us vs. Them (Mental Health for the Digital Generation Blog)
• PTSD vs. Combat-Related PTSD (Understanding Combat PTSD)
• Long-Term Abusive Relationship Feelings and Behaviors (pt 2) (Verbal Abuse and Relationships Blog)
• Insecurity Can Lead Self-Harmers Down Roads of Self-Injury (Speaking Out About Self-Injury Blog)
• Housing Options for Young Adults with Mental Illness (Mental Illness in the Family Blog)
• Depression Help for Men? “Suck it Up, Princess.” (Your Mental Health Blog)
• When the Walls of Anxiety Are Closing In, How Do You Cope? (Treating Anxiety Blog)
• Grieving a Child with Mental Illness (Life with Bob)
• Should Psychiatric Patients Have the Right to See Their Files? (More Than Borderline Blog)
• Rethinking Dissociative Living 3: “The Courage to Heal” (Dissociative Living Blog)
• How I Learned to Love Food in Eating Disorder Recovery and A Support Network Is Vital to Eating Disorder Recovery (Surviving ED Blog)
• Stimulants and Adult ADHD: What You Need to Know and Adult ADHD and Career Choices (Living with Adult ADHD Blog)
• Let Go! Nobody’s Perfect (Living A Blissful Life Blog)
• The Stigma of Identifying as Bisexual (The Life: LGBT Mental Health Blog)
• The Science of Social Media Addiction (Debunking Addiction Blog)
• Alcohol, Drugs and Schizophrenia Recovery (Creative Schizophrenia Blog)

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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Stand Up for Mental Health

Thousands Have Joined the Stand Up for Mental Health Campaign

But we still need you. Let others know there's no shame in having depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trichotillomania, OCD, ADHD, schizophrenia or any other mental illness.

Join the Stand Up for Mental Health campaign. Put a button on your website or blog (buttons for family members, parents, mental health professionals and organizations too). We also have covers for Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

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Latest Mental Health News

These stories and more are featured on our mental health news page:

• 'Eating Disorders Could Start As Early As Elementary School'
• 1 in 10 Schoolchildren 'Require Mental Health Interventions'
• Sense of Invalidation Uniquely Risky for Troubled Teens
• Exercise Protects Against Depression - But How?
• What Are The Adult Health Consequences Of Childhood Bullying?
• Poor Sleep Quality Associated With Increased Suicide Risk In Older Adults
• How Memory Is Processed 'May Influence Risk Of PTSD'
• Our Desire For Payback Exemplifies Our Capacity For Abstract Thought

That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or digg) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week:

• circle HealthyPlace on Google+,
• follow HealthyPlace on Twitter
• follow HealthyPlace on Pinterest
• or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook.

back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index