Depression is more than just feeling sad. It’s more like the inability to grasp happiness. It is a severe mental illness that changes the way the person sees the world and how they act in it. Depression can become so debilitating that it begins to affect the person’s work, social, and home life. If you are in an intimate relationship, it could be changing your relationship.

Depression and Your Brain

The Hippocampus

The hippocampus regulates the use of a chemical called cortisol in our brains. During times of physical or mental stress, the hippocampus releases cortisol into the brain. If you have too much cortisol production in the brain, it can slow down the process of making new neurons causing damage.

The Amygdala

The amygdala is where your fear and pleasure comes from. Too much cortisol can cause this part of your brain to become overactive, making it produce more hormones than what your body needs. An overactive amygdala can also be the cause of sleep disturbances.

The Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex is where our decisions and emotions are made. When this area of the brain is exposed to high amounts of cortisol for long periods of time, it starts to shrink. Depression becomes something challenging to conquer because these changes to your brain also change the way that you think.

Symptoms Of Depression

Loss Of Interest

People with depression often lose interest in things they used to enjoy. Maybe you have sat down to play a new video game you were excited about, or put on one of your favorite shows, but you just aren’t feeling it. You don’t get enjoyment out of anything, and it can have you wondering aimlessly trying to fill a void with different hobbies or activities. Depression isn't just sad; it’s also a lot of being bored out of your mind.

Bouts Of Random Sadness

Have you ever been overcome with sadness that seems to come out of nowhere? People with depression can be fine one moment, and then the next they are fighting back the tears. This wave of sadness can last for hours, with you confused and unable to find a solution to fix how you are feeling.  

Neglecting Self-Care

Self-care is eating healthy, exercising, and keeping hygienic. If you ignore your dental hygiene or only eat comfort foods, it could be depression. When nothing matters and your most common emotion is sadness, it can be difficult to find the motivation to take care of yourself.

Weight Change

Depression can lead to developing binge-eating disorder because you are chasing that feeling of happiness you can’t find in anything else. Food is like a drug to those who are chasing a dopamine response. Depression can also go the other way making you lose weight. It’s not uncommon that even food loses its ability to have a positive effect making it just as useless as your favorite TV show.

Feeling Hopeless

Do you ever feel like nothing you do matters? That you don’t matter? Do you have a hard time finding a purpose for anything? Many people with depression suffer from feelings of extreme hopelessness, making it easy to neglect self-care and almost impossible to have healthy self-esteem.

No Confidence

When you lose or gain weight to an unhealthy level, it might be hard to look in the mirror and be happy. When you neglect to take care of your teeth and your hair, it can start to show and make you lose confidence. To top off these physical changes, feeling hopeless can make it seem like you are worthless which can considerably cut down your self-esteem.

Fatigue

Do you find that you could sleep all day if you wanted to? Are you always exhausted? It is tiresome to be continually battling the turmoil going on in your mind; it doesn’t help that you may have stopped exercising and eating right. If you are feeling tired all of the time, you might have depression.

Can’t Make Decisions

Do you struggle with wondering what to wear, what to eat, and what to do on a constant basis? When you have depression, it’s extremely tough to make decisions. Your lack of motivation makes every decision a bad one.

Bad Memory

Do you find that you forget where you put things, important events, and things that you were supposed to do throughout the day? Because depression causes damaged to the hippocampus, it can impair your memory.

Anxiety

Do you find yourself constantly worrying, unable to sleep, and thinking irrationally? Anxiety and depression commonly go hand in hand. Those who have chronic anxiety and let it go untreated can cause themselves to develop depression. This is because anxiety elevates the inflammatory cytokines in the brain, which can lead to inflammation causing depression.

Signs Depression Is Butting In

Not Having Sex

When is the last time you were truly intimate with your partner? It can be hard to feel sexy when you have low self-esteem or when you are constantly irritated by your partner. Depression has also known to lower the libido of patients. If you have lost your sex drive, it may be the extra cortisol in your brain.

Less Communication

It can be hard to talk to your partner about serious or mundane things when your illness preoccupies your mind. Your conversations may be filled with self-loathing and sadness, making it hard for it to be enjoyed by both parties. You may feel like you just don’t want to talk it out or even bother with trying to repair damage from a fight that may have broken out between the two of you. This lack of communication with the person who is supposed to be on your side can make your depression even worse.

Not Involved In Your Partner’s Life

Depression can make you withdraw and make you lose motivation to try in your relationship. It can make you so self-obsessed with your own emotions because you are drowning in them, you forget about the people you love around you. You may avoid going to events your partner enjoys or engaging with them about their day. This can make the space between you and your partner even greater.

They Aren’t Fun To Be Around

Sex isn’t fun, going out isn’t fun, and watching movies isn’t fun. This can also make your partner no fun to be around. Depression can make your irritable, and you might find yourself annoyed at every little thing they do. Their mere presence can stress you out and exhaust you.

It’s Hard To Solve Problems

When communication is challenging, and you can’t make decisions, solving problems in your relationship can be difficult. You might go to bed angry with your partner because you can’t find the desire to fix the problem. When you are so focused on your internal issues, the ones outside can take a back seat.

You Find Yourself Acting Out

Some people may withdraw and become isolated from depression; others can become abusive. The anger, sadness, guilt, and frustration that is often accompanied by depression may be too much for you to handle. Without knowing what to do with these intense emotions, it’s possible you can take it out on the person you love.

Start Feeling Anxious or Paranoid

Depression and anxiety can make you fear your relationship is going to end or that your partner is cheating on you when they aren’t. It can drive you to become suspicious because your self-esteem is so low you can’t imagine they are happy with you. This can cause you to become destructive and sabotage the relationship.

What Can You Do?

Express Your Feelings In A Healthy Way

When you are feeling down or upset, let your partner know. When they ask why, if that annoys you, tell them that sometimes it just happens and you don’t know. Tell them how you feel so they can understand and try to help you get out of your funk. Try not to lash out when you do this, that would only make things worse.

Therapy

Couples therapy and therapy just for you are great options for learning how to handle your emotions and can help your partner figure out how to help. There are trained professionals who know exactly what you are going through and have a stack pile of methods to help fix the problem.

Be Conscious Of Their Feelings

Even though your partner might not be suffering from depression like you are, they still have feelings and needs. This isn’t to say you should force yourself into a situation that might make matters worse, but there are plenty of ways you can remind them that you love them and they are still desirable.

Medication

Damage to your brain causes depression, and just like a broken bone or chronic disease, there is medicine that can help. Many people who choose prescription drugs can have side effects that make their depression worse. Anti-depressants can cause low libido, weight change, and suicidal thoughts. Many people are now using CBD oil for their depression because it works and doesn’t come with the nasty side effects.

How Does CBD Help With Depression

Cannabidiol interacts with the endocannabinoid system by promoting and inhibiting chemicals, stimulating receptors, and opening pathways and channels for higher brain function. By elevating the 2-AG endocannabinoid that binds to the CB2 receptor, CBD can help reduce the inflammation in your brain brought on by depression and anxiety. By raising anandamide which attaches to the CB1 receptor, CBD can help regulate your mood making the emotions less severe.

Talk To Your Doctor

If you are on anti-depressants, quitting them cold turkey can make your symptoms become extreme. It is always advised to speak with your doctor when changing medication. They can help you safely get off the pills while you transition to CBD oil. One of the most effective ways to take CBD for depression is orally through capsules or edibles. Be sure to stop by our shop today!