If you've been following The Depression Project on Instagram, then something you may have heard us mention before is how common it is for people with depression to at times feel numb. And, if you can relate, then right now, we'd like to share with you a free excerpt from our "Depression Numbness" Journal that details what actually causes you to feel "depression numb".
Are you ready?
Free excerpt
What Causes You To Feel "Depression Numb"?
"Depression Numbness" Can Be Your Systemâs Way Of âProtecting Youâ From Pain That It Perceives To Be Unavoidable1
As humans, we have whatâs called an autonomic nervous system â the role of which, according to Deb Dana in her book Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory, is to âstore, conserve and release energy to help us safely move through our daily lives"1. And, like she also says, our ânervous systems are aware of signs and signals of dangerâ1. In this way, you have what can be thought of as an âinternal surveillance systemâ, a âself-protective circuitâ or a âthreat detectorâ thatâs continuously determining how safe the situation youâre in is.
Now, in terms of how it decides how safe the situation youâre in is, your threat detector has what can be thought of as a âdatabase of past informationâ â and inside this database are all of your life experiences (including the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between). And, automatically and really, really quickly, your threat detector consults this database to determine whether the situation youâre in is safe, dangerous or life-threatening.
For example, letâs say that you look outside your window and spot a tree. In this instance, your threat detector will look to your database and think, âtrees ⊠what do we know about trees? Well, I lived in a forest as a kid ⊠trees were safe ⊠I never fell out of a tree, and a tree never fell on meâ. In this very simple example, your threat detector would conclude that youâre âsafeâ, and as a result, your nervous system will be in its ventral state1 â i.e. itâs âsafe stateâ â which is the state associated with being, for example, relaxed, happy, calm, free, interested, curious, enthusiastic, confident, uplifted, etcetera.
However, letâs say that instead of determining that youâre safe in a given situation, your threat detector concludes that youâre facing danger. In this instance, your nervous system will be in its sympathetic state1Â â i.e. its âstate of mobilityâ â which is associated with, for example, racing thoughts, a pounding heart, anxiousness, worry, frustration, anger, fear, panic, stress, tension, etcetera. This is your systemâs way of trying to protect you from the danger it perceives, by telling you: âthereâs no time to relax â you have to do something now! You have to take action in order to feel safe again!â
Now lastly, letâs say that your threat detector concludes that thereâs no way to escape from the danger â in the sense that there is nothing that can be done to stop you from feeling pain, and that the situation is completely hopeless. In this case, your system will be in its dorsal state1Â â i.e. its âshutdown stateâ â which is associated with, among other things, being apathetic; feeling separate from the world; and indeed, feeling numb. This is your system telling you: âI canât help you get away from this pain, but what I can do is cloak you in numbness so that you don't have to feel it. You can leave your body. You can lose contact with your feelings and completely shut downâ.
And, in this way, âdepression numbnessâ can be your systemâs way of protecting you as best as it can from all of depressionâs most painful symptoms â such as misery, worthlessness and hopelessness, for example.
Secondly, âDepression Numbnessâ Can Also Be A Side-Effect Of Medication2
Additionally, as you may have experienced, even though it can be immensely helpful, âdepression numbnessâ can also sometimes be a side effect of anti-depressant medication.
Thirdly, Substance Abuse Can Also Contribute To You Feeling âDepression Numb"3
When consumed with depressionâs crippling, debilitating, seemingly unbearable symptoms, as youâre likely aware, itâs common for people to attempt to numb them by engaging in substance abuse.
End of free excerpt
We hope you found this free journal excerpt informative, our friend.
All our love,
The Depression Project Team.
P.S. In addition to helping you better understand the causes of "depression numbness", we created The "Depression Numbness" Journal in order to:
- Help you feel like you're not alone;
- Help you break out of âdepression numbnessâ - so that you can get back to experiencing joy and pleasure from the things that you usually like doing, be able to think clearer and function more effectively, and be in a better position to take the necessary steps to treat your depression.