Am I Depressed Or Lazy?

By The Depression Project

When you're fighting depression, our friend, then like we often talk about, it's really, really common to struggle to function as well as you otherwise would. And, unfortunately, this can make you question:

Is this because of depression? Or, am I just lazy?

If you can relate, then right now, we'd like to share with you seven consequences of depression that should not be confused with laziness.

Are you ready?

7 Consequences Of Depression That Should Not Be Confused With Laziness

1. Struggling To Get Out Of Bed

When you're deep in a depressive episode, getting out of bed can be extremely, extremely difficult, since physical fatigue is a very common symptom of depression. Additionally, staying in bed is also a common "survival strategy" on your darkest of days.

2. Watching Excess T.V.

Watching a lot of excess T.V. is another common consequence of depression that should not be confused with laziness. After all, when you're deep in a depressive episode, watching T.V. can help distract you from depression's overwhelmingly intense symptoms, and provide you with a sense of safety during your darkest times.

3. Taking Days Off From Work

Given everything you're going through when you're fighting depression, it's completely understandable if you need to take time off work - in the same way you would if you were struggling with a debilitating physical illness.

4. "Worsened Appearance"

When you're fighting depression, it takes you out of "living mode" and puts you in "survival mode". Naturally, this significantly reduces your ability to function, and as a result, you'll have much less energy to put into your physical appearance.

5. Socially Withdrawing

Given everything you're going through when you have depression, social withdrawal is an extremely common and understandable consequence of depression. As a result, socially withdrawing when you're feeling depressed once again does not mean that you are "lazy".

6. Neglecting Your Personal Hygiene

Just like socially withdrawing and the other consequences of depression that we've so far looked at, neglecting your personal hygiene is also extremely common when you're fighting depression, and is absolutely not a sign of laziness. On that note, since not showering in particular is an extremely common source of shame for people with depression that can significantly fuel the negative thought "I'm lazy", we've actually written an entire blog post on this very issue: The Real Reasons People With Depression May Struggle To Shower (That Are Not Due To Laziness).

7. Eating A Lot Of Takeaway Food

Like we've said, when you're in a depressive episode, your capacity to function is being significantly compromised. And, when this is the case, rather than cooking an entire meal from scratch, it's completely understandable to prioritise "easier options" like ordering takeaway food - so that you can save your energy for dealing with all of depression's overwhelming symptoms.

Do You Have Depression And Sometimes Think You're "Lazy"?

If you have depression and sometimes think you're "lazy", our friend, then:

Please remember than depression is an absolutely exhausting illness to fight, and that it's extremely common for it to significantly compromise a person's ability to function - to such an extent that even getting out of bed for example can feel like climbing a mountain. For this reason, we really encourage you to adjust your expectations of yourself, and not hold yourself to the same standards as you would if you weren't feeling so consumed with depression's symptoms.
Please know that the negative thought "I'm lazy" / "Am I lazy?" is just that - a negative thought - and not one that's true. On that note, to help you overcome the negative thought "I'm lazy" / "Am I lazy?" that it's so common to think when you're fighting depression, we've created an in-depth, cognitive behavioural therapy-based blog post that we think you'll find really, really helpful: How To Conquer Depression's Negative Thought "I'm Lazy" / "Am I Lazy?"
Lastly, it's important to note that there are a variety of strategies you can implement to overcome so many of the issues that can make it so difficult to function when you have depression - including "depression lack-of-motivation", "depression overwhelm" and "depression tiredness", for example. On that note, we think you'll find the following resources listed below helpful.

Other blog Posts

Journals

We hope you've found this blog post helpful, our friend, and that it's helped confirm for you that finding it difficult to function when you have depression absolutely does not mean that you're "lazy".

All our love,

The Depression Project Team.