One, you feel unworthy.
At times,
do you find yourself thinking,
none of my friends like me?
Or they only invited me because they'd feel bad
if they didn't?
In reality, it is far from the truth.
When dealing with depression,
feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy
can very easily cloud your thoughts
with negative, destructive ones.
It deflates your self-esteem,
leading to the belief that others see you
the same negative way you see yourself.
Even when your closest friends and family
have pure intentions,
sending you invites to parties,
asking you to go on girls' night out
or calling to check up on you,
it can feel like they're doing it
only as a way to protect your feelings
and avoid making you feel hurt
and left out.
Opening up and expressing your true feelings
can be difficult for you,
because it feels like no one understands the pain
you're going through.
Two, you lack energy.
Depression can be draining.
One of the many symptoms of depression
is feeling worn out,
both physically and mentally.
According to the US National Institutes of Health's
National Library of Medicine,
one of the most common residual symptoms
of partially-resolved depression is fatigue.
Broadly defined,
symptoms of fatigue can affect physical,
cognitive and emotional function,
impair school and work performance,
and disturb social and family relationships.
For people with depression,
it can be hard to find the will to get up in the morning,
let alone find the energy to go out and spend time
with others.
It is way easier to just stay in,
rather than muster energy to socialize.
Depending on the severity of your depression,
doing just about anything at all
can feel more energy-consuming
than it normally would.
With that said,
if you or a loved one struggles with depression,
it's completely understandable to feel this way.
Three, you struggle to find time.
Depression is notorious for giving its victims
a hard time with time management.
Is your work or school load harder to manage than before?
Depression severely affects your motivation,
and productivity levels.
All of a sudden,
you have no energy left to get things done.
And this ultimately has a snowball effect
on your to-do list,
turning it into a never-ending scribble
of more and more tasks each day.
This amplifies depression symptoms of stress,
feeling overwhelmed and burnout in general,
giving you almost little to no time for a social life,
as you struggle to get enough things done already.
Four, you struggle from social anhedonia.
Do you feel like the company of others
doesn't bring you the same positive feelings of satisfaction
or enjoyment as it did before?
Has spending the holidays with family,
lunch breaks with your coworkers or even dates
with your significant other lost its charm?
Anhedonia or the inability to feel pleasure
is something people with depression may struggle with.
Social anhedonia is a form of this condition
that refers to one's detachment from socialization
due to the absence of pleasure they feel from it.
While everyone's experiences may vary from each other,
social anhedonia can be very stressful.
You might still crave forming and maintaining deep,
meaningful relationships with other people,
but social anhedonia prevents you from doing so.
Over time, this could lead to self-blame
for your feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Five, you have a history of social anxiety.
According to research, there's a strong link
between social anxiety disorder, or SAD
and future depression,
making people diagnosed with SAD
prone to depressive-like tendencies.
If you or a loved one has already been diagnosed
with social anxiety, the presence of depression
in your or their life
can further reinforce these anti-social
and self-isolating habits.
Along with depression, social anxiety
is another common mental health condition
that goes beyond a person's quality of shyness.
It hinders your ability to do even the smallest acts,
like making eye contact with others or being present
in a populated room without feeling uneasy.
It only furthers your need to withdraw from others.
Social withdrawal along with other depressive symptoms
is not your fault,
nor does it make you less worthy.
Such unintentional actions are driven
by your depressed mental state
and not by actual feelings you hold within your heart.
Socialization isn't all about just making small talk
with others or making new friends,
it's also about accepting support
from loved ones and opening up about your struggles
to people you trust.
It's important to remember,
you're not alone
and that reaching or opening up to a friend, family member
or a mental health professional
can be the first step of many towards self-improvement.
We hope we were able to give you insight
into some of the reasons why depression
can lead to social withdrawal.
Do you find these relatable?
Let us know in the comments below.
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be sure to hit the Like button,
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you think might be socially withdrawn
due to these reasons.
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