8 habits that can lead to depression

The depression is it a disease, or set of diseases, which for the moment belong to the realm of what is relatively little known to science.

Little is known about what factors can trigger the onset of depression. nor is there much knowledge about whether the reasons for their existence are more biological or more linked to the experiences we live throughout life. However, there are some factors and habits that have been statistically linked to its appearance.

What factors can lead us to suffer from depression?

Below you can see a list of these customs that, although they do not necessarily lead to the appearance of depression, can make us somewhat more prone to falling into it.

1. not getting enough sleep

We spend much of our lives sleeping, and it is during sleep when our body (and specifically, our nervous system) repairs itself to be able to successfully face the challenges of the next day. From this it can already be deduced that sleep is very important, but it is also that the problems during this phase they can unleash many and very serious problems that can endanger our lives if they intensify too much.

One of them is falling into depression. Part of the reason for this lies in the functional and chemical imbalances that lack of sleep for long periods (or, directly, the sleep disorders) produces in Our brain, but it can also be due to a loop effect: with sleep everything is very tired, we find ourselves unable to perform tasks relatively simple and it is less likely that we enter states of euphoria and joy, since this would be an "unnecessary" expense of energy.

If we learn to see life through the glasses of fatigue, depression has the most level ground to become part of our lives.

2. Demand too much of ourselves

This habit is related to the previous one, and it is also related to tiredness and stress. It is the other side of the same coin; Instead of passively tiring yourself, you try to actively tire yourself out by setting too many goals or making them too difficult. This will not only negatively affect our health levels (also making it hard for us to sleep if we work until late at night) but alsos will give us a distorted image of ourselves.

If we get used to this dynamic, instead of wondering if the goals we have set are demanding too much of us ourselves, we will begin to wonder what is wrong with us so that we are not able to get where we wanted arrive.

This, if you don't know how to manage it, can negatively affect our self-esteem, can lead us to suffer angry outbursts and it will damage our way of relating to others. All this, in turn, will leave us with fewer resources (social and health) to face tasks that were already too difficult from the beginning.

3. lack of exercise

Although performing physically demanding tasks can exhaust us and leave us unable to do anything else for the rest of the day, practicing moderate exercise will bring us numerous benefits. In fact, for most people it is absolutely necessary to spend at least a few hours a week practicing some kind of sport, or several, in order to stay in optimal health.

Sport will not only keep the muscles in our body well preserved, but will also make us secrete more dopamine and serotonin, two substances linked to the state of euphoria, the feeling of well-being and happiness. They can be considered antidepressants naturally produced by our body.

4. keep negative thoughts

There are some people who, despite not having developed depression, show a certain propensity to feed the negative thoughts that assail them. A part of the appearance of these ideas is involuntary and accidental, of course, but that does not mean that always staying in a state close to the sadness and bitterness is not perceived as a problem and as something that can be mitigated if you put effort into it.

If the default state of mind has to do with sensations and feelings that cause pain, you are closer to making these emotions worse and becoming chronic.

However, it must be borne in mind that it is one thing to be a person with pessimistic tendencies and without a diagnosis of depression, and another to suffer from the presence of constant thoughts intrusive and recurring of a negative nature, regardless of whether they are related to a fictitious situation or to memories of something that really happened, which seriously damage the quality of life. The first situation does not have to seriously affect health, while the second can be very limiting if left untreated.

5. Staying in a work environment with mobbing

It must not be forgotten that a large part of the phenomena that lead to depression may be due to how others interact with oneself. In the case of mobbing, Harassment at work can be aimed at harming us psychologically to the point of forcing us to leave work. Recognizing this problem is a fundamental part of slowing the pace of episodes of depression.

Depression can also appear where there is a dynamic of harassment and abuse, even if it is not in the work context, and even if we are not the direct victims of it.

6. A bad diet

We are what we eat, and this also has implications for what we think and the way we feel.. The health of our neurons and the type of neurotransmitters and hormones that interact in our neuroendocrine system depend entirely on the type of diet we eat, so Serious imbalances in this aspect tend to produce a chain reaction with consequences that are to a certain extent unexpected, but always far-reaching and with serious effects on our quality of life. The appearance of depression favored by these problems is one of them.

If these changes in our body become visible enough and affect our self-esteem, the reaction in loop and the possible appearance of eating disorders will make the situation worse.

7. drinking too much alcohol

People with diagnosed depression are much more likely to fall into alcoholism if measures are not taken to avoid it, but, in addition, people who are not yet experiencing depression can develop it if they get used to drinking too much.

Alcohol has a depressant effect on the body and also facilitates the appearance of self control problems that can damage the person's quality of life in multiple ways, making them increasingly isolated. This also occurs with the consumption of many illegally marketed drugs.

8. isolation

Isolation is part of the way of life of millions of people throughout the planet, and unfortunately it is also linked to depression. Not only can it be related to the lack of sensory stimuli and the partial absence of cognitive challenges, but also it also leaves without the material and affective support network provided by other people and is usually linked to lifestyle habits that are not healthy.

In the case of the depression in old age, isolation is usually a constant that must be tackled through sufficiently capable and competent elderly care services.