Does depression make you feel lonely?
When youâre fighting depression, then as we hear from members of The Depression Projectâs 3,000,000+ person social media community literally every single day, it is very, very common to feel lonely. In our observation, there are two main reasons for this:
Firstly, itâs extremely common for people with depression to feel lonely as a result of the people around them not understanding what theyâre going through or being oblivious to it.
In particular, this is often because:
- Depression can be very difficult to put into words and explain to other people â especially when your symptoms are severely intense;
- Faking a smile and pretending to be OK is often considered more âsocially acceptableâ than saying how depressed you're really feeling;
- It's common for people who've never experienced depression before to not understand the illness properly, and to therefore make judgmental, frustrating, hurtful comments - such as, for example, âdepression isnât realâ, âyou just need to get over itâ, âwe all have bad days now and then", âyouâre just being negativeâ, âitâs all in your headâ, âstop feeling sorry for yourselfâ, etcetera.
Secondly, loneliness is closely linked to depression because itâs extremely common for depression to lead to social withdrawal and isolation.
This is often because, as weâre frequently told by members of The Depression Projectâs community:
- Depression can rob you of your motivation and/or energy to leave your home;
- You may often feel too miserable to be able to fake a smile and pretend that everything is âfineâ;
- You may find yourself feeling apathetic and numb, and therefore less willing and able to partake in activities that you once shared and enjoyed with others;
- Like weâve mentioned, it can be extremely difficult to articulate how awful youâre feeling, and/or how to explain all of the debilitating ways that depression is affecting you â and as a result, you may prefer to isolate yourself and avoid talking to anyone;
- You may not want your loved ones to see you at your âworstâ;
- You may feel the need to âprotectâ and to âshieldâ your loved ones from your pain so as not to make them worry;
- You may not want to âburdenâ anybody with your depression;
- You may feel unworthy of your friendsâ and family membersâ support;
- You may fear judgment â particularly if your depression has led you to do things youâre ashamed of (such as not showering, for instance);
- You may need time alone to rest and recover.
Consequently, because âdepression lonelinessâ is prevalent for so many reasons, weâve put together this cognitive behavioural therapy-based journal, in order to:
- Firstly, help you cope with the negative thought âno-one understands meâ â which is arguably the most common negative thought that fuels âdepression lonelinessâ;
- Secondly, weâre going to help you put your depression into words, and make it easier for you to explain what youâre going through to your friends and family members â in order to help you feel more understood-, connected to- and closer to your loved ones;
- And, last but not least, weâre going to help you brainstorm what steps you may be able to take in order to have more social interactions, and feel significantly less lonely as a result.
FAQ #1: Why should I be confident this journal will help me?
This journal is grounded in cognitive behavioural therapy - which in case you don't know, is a leading form of treatment for depression, anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, personality disorders, and a wide range of other mental health issues.
Additionally, this journal is also written with the warmth, care, encouragement and insight that, with 3,000,000+ followers on social media, The Depression Project has become renowned for :)
FAQ #2:Â What format does this journal come in?
This journal is available in two different formats for you to choose from:
- PDFÂ - which you will be able to download instantly after purchase, and then print out at your home, office or local printer.
- Paperback (if you live in the US or UK)Â - which will be delivered to you within 4-8 business days. Shipping costs are $7.95 within the US, and $9.95 within the UK. This shipping cost is a flat rate, so whether you order one journal, or multiple journals, the shipping cost will be the same (if you would like to, you'll find the option to add one or more other journals to your cart below so that you can save on shipping). Once your order has been shipped, you will be emailed a number so that you can track it.
FAQ #3:Â What if I give this journal a try but I don't like it?
We're extremely, extremely confident that you're going to find this journal immensely helpful. But, just in case you don't, the PDF version of this journal comes with a 60 Day, No-Questions-Asked, 100% Moneyback Guarantee!
If you have any questions about this journal, then please feel free to click here and contact us so that someone from our friendly team can answer them for you :)
Otherwise, we hope you choose to get this journal, because we know that you're going to find it really, really helpful!
All our love,
The Depression Project Team.