You may be feeling low yourself or be worried about someone. This section can help you understand the difference between experiencing low moods and depression and when it’s important to ask for help.
If depression is affecting your day-to-day life it can feel like you are a long way from feeling well again. There are, however, lots of positive things you can do to help yourself feel better and people you can talk to who can help and support you.
The difference between low mood and depression
Everyone feels low or down from time to time and that’s quite normal. We’ve all experienced situations in which we have felt upset, angry, worried or sad.
Feeling low is particularly common after a distressing event or major life change like the death of someone close, losing your job or a relationship breakdown.
Low moods should improve by:
- counselling
- getting enough sleep
- getting the support of family or friends
- joining a support group or network
- taking positive action to resolve any problems or issues
- talking problems through
Practising relaxation techniques and taking care of your physical health can also help.
Low moods tend to lift after a few days or weeks. If they continue and won’t go away it can be a sign of depression. Depression is when we feel low or negative for long periods of time. Someone experiencing depression may think too much about events in the past and feel hopeless about the future which can start to affect their daily life.