By Dr Farah Adam Mukadam
You are called the multitasker at your workplace. Climbing up the corporate ladder steadily yet surely, pay checks getting fatter as time goes by, juggling projects and outdoing yourself every single time- you really have been doing it all. You are energetic and vivacious with a knack for networking. You work hard and party harder. Life’s good. Until it isn’t.
But have your mornings become a drag? The start of the day fills you with dread? Aside from being just mentally exhausted, introspect and see if are you feeling physical symptoms as well. Has your sleep gone for a toss or you are sleeping way more than you normally do? Concentrating on a task is hard and distractibility becomes second nature to you perhaps. Losing interest in grooming and personal hygiene as well as eating poorly- over eating or lack of appetite- both are seen in depression. You find yourself withdrawing from your social circles and the vivacious person that you are at your workplace might feel like one big façade.
Depression can hit anyone and it does not necessarily have to be precipitated by a big setback in life. Sometimes the daily drill and mental demands can result in burnout and subsequent depression. Back-to-back meetings, brainstorming sessions, endless emails and the deadline demands are quite literally killing your brain cells. You open your eyes in the morning to a work email and end your day making next day’s to-do list on the planner in your phone. That organ housed in your skull is begging for a break from all the information and ambition overload. And somehow, we are only stopping to listen to its pleas when it has withdrawn into the state of depression.
In today’s fast paced world, this burnout is bound to happen eventually. And it is this fast pace that is wearing us down. I strongly recommend that you see a professional for a proper diagnosis and implore you to not self-medicate. That being said, here are a few ways to beat depression or at least help yourself till you make up your mind before approaching a therapist.
- Start your day without starting your phone: Back in the day, people would carry a lota and be off to the fields to do their morning business. Nowadays, people carry their phones while they answer the call of nature. And what a killjoy that smartphone is. Instead of letting your body relax and get in tune with the day, it revs up your brain, jolts it into a virtual world and won’t even let you use the toilet in peace. Watching even funny videos as you sit on the toilet seat is robbing you of the reset you got from your sleep. The burn out of the brain starts right here.
- Less screenlight, more sunlight: Make it a point to sit in the sun. Even if it means waking up 20 minutes before your normal routine. Sit, soak it in and wind your body clock to nature’s clock. It will help in reducing body inflammation, reduce blood pressure and improve your mood.
- Slowly stretch: Stretch in the morning. It does not have to be in expensive workout wear or with fancy gear. It’s just you and your muscles. Learn simple yoga asanas and workout to feel good about yourself rather than achieving an unachievable body standard. You will find your energy levels improve by just 20 minutes of a stretching routine if you do not wish to commit to a rigorous workout.
- Reduce your night time series binge: Between 11 in the night to 4 in the morning, the artificial light of our phones or televisions are more harmful than they would be the rest of the day. The centre in our brains that moderates the body clock gets taxed by it and actually leaves you feeling way worse. You are not entertained the way you had hoped to be, you lost precious sleep hours and set up yourself for a bad day the next day. It’s an absolute no-win situation. Get that TV set out of the bedroom and tuck yourself in like the way it should be.
(The author is a Family Physician, Kauvery Hospitals Electronic City (Bengaluru). The article is for informational purposes only. Please consult medical experts and health professionals before starting any therapy, medication and/or remedy. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
