Telltale signs you have depression even if you’re not feeling down

saying no to food

According to Healthline, depression is a type of mood disorder. While many people might associate the illness with feelings of loss, anger, or sadness, it’s not always the case.

This means that a top performer at work can be undergoing their bout of depression silently, not outwardly displaying feelings of dejectedness. Similarly, the “influencer” you see on Instagram leading a satisfying, luxurious life might be in the midst of battling depression.

Especially so for folks who have not been through depression, it can be hard to recognise the condition for yourself or your loved ones around you. Here are some telltale signs you have depression even if you’re not feeling down.

#1: Extreme changes in appetite

Extreme changes in appetite don’t always necessarily refer to an increase in food intake. It could be a sudden decrease in eating quantities as well.

“It’s an easy (sign) to overlook because we live in a society that values diet culture and values restriction as a sign of control and discipline. That says something good about your character if you’re not gorging on food. I think that it can be easily missed, and it can be praised as that person somehow has it together, and they’re doing well,” noted Zamira Castro, a licensed psychologist in Florida.

#2: Withdrawals from social activities

Learn to identify the prodromal phase of depression. Castro highlights the state as a period between the initial onset of symptoms and the actual development of the condition.

Withdrawing from social activities can be an obvious indication that you’re starting to develop depression. This means that one does not have to completely shut themselves away in their room or avoid taking calls from friends and family members to be identified as depressed.

#3: Forgoing self-care routines
unkempt colleague

Image Credits: express.co.uk

Waking up from the wrong side of the bed and not wanting to iron your clothes is different from forgoing routines. Here, we’re talking about a disruption in your regular self-care practice.

If you’re seeing yourself skipping routines for weeks or losing interests in the things you used to enjoy, then that could be a sign of depression. “Depression is a loss of vitality, your energy, your pulses, (when) all of that is depressed… the lights have been dimmed,” mentioned Castro.

#4: Losing the sexual desire

Do you know that experts at Johns Hopkins Women’s Moods Disorders Center have likened lowered libido to one of the main symptoms for major depressive episodes?

Humans are all wired differently, and a temporary loss in sexual desire could be due to situational life changes. However, if your sexual appetite has plummeted to deficient levels for prolonged periods, then it could be a clear indication of depression.

#5: Can’t take “no” for an answer
angry at a colleague

Image Credits: careercontessa.com

As we come to a close, this final sign is an uncommon depression signal for many – being unable to accept rejection.

But remember that one should not confuse it with personal characteristics. We’re not referring to peeps who usually can’t take “no” for an answer generally. We’re talking about those who have become extremely sensitive to rejection over a period. It could be as simple as a major meltdown when left out from a group lunch.

Final thoughts

The above list of telltale signs is non-exhaustive because everyone experiences depression differently.

If you think you might be struggling with the condition, it’s wise that you seek medical opinions. While depression is incurable, it is treatable. With proper self-care, medication, and professional guidance by a doctor, you will be well on your way to recovery!

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Do these things after you’ve sacked your boss

coffee chat

So you’ve finally dropped the resignation letter in your boss’ face after months of contemplating? We’re glad for you.

Now that you’re exiting hell, it’s time to slack your way through that one-month notice, not. Yes, you’ve read that right. Rather than wasting your time reporting for the last month at work doing nothing, there are tasks you need to tick off your checklist before you bid goodbye.

Here are the things to do after you’ve sacked your boss.

#1: Schedule meet-ups with colleagues

When a person chooses to leave the workplace, brains and mouths will start speculating the reasons why. Rather than allowing gossips to prosper, take this opportunity to schedule meet-ups with colleagues and explain your stance for leaving.

Other than your department colleagues you’ve worked with, you may also request to meet with other team members who’ve crossed paths and offered help. While you don’t need to speak to everyone, choose those that you would be glad to remain in contact with.

#2: Do a proper handover

If you’ve had gone through picking up a pile of mess from someone who has left the company before, be sure not to do the same when you leave.

What you can do is to draw up an instructional handover document detailing the ongoing projects under your watch. This will aid your manager and successor to pick up from where you’ve left and enable as few disruptions as possible from your exit. At the same time, you get to demonstrate your professionalism.

#3: Request for recommendations
colleagues conversing

Image Credits: dospace.org

Rather than waiting months after you’ve left to seek a recommendation, request for one before you leave for good. It’s an apt time because your supervisors and colleagues still remember the excellent work you’ve put in during your time in the company.

It would be advisable that you approach them directly to ask for a recommendation. Sending an email might work too, but it’s not that personable. Don’t be afraid to have them comment on the specific skills you would like to be endorsed for.

#4: Back up your accomplishments

Certain documents won’t be accessible upon your exit from the company. Hence, don’t forget to do the necessary screenshots or capture evidence of your accomplishments. This is especially so for those who’ve been with the company for years and cannot readily recall the works you’ve executed when you’ve held various positions.

Depending on your contributions to the company, it may take more than a day or two to back up the important stuff. The last thing you want to do is leave it to the last day to do so and realise there’s not enough time.

#5: Mass send or customise farewell emails
typing on an Apple keyboard

Image Credits: unsplash.com

So we suppose who’ve done the things listed above and ready to leave the company on a positive note. On your last day, it’s good to send a mass email to everyone who’ve journeyed with you through the months and years.

Should you have the time to do so, customise farewell emails to show your sincerity towards the people you want to keep in your work and social connections. Say your thank-yous, share a big picture of your next venture, and let them know how to stay connected with you.

Here’s us wishing you all the best in your next endeavour!

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4 Surefire Ways To Create Better Study Habits At Home

Ministry of Education announced that lower primary and lower secondary students will continue with home-based learning (HBL) after June holidays. These arrangements were made to “ease into full resumption of school” when Term 3 starts on June 28.

Studying from home can be challenging! All of us have study habits that we would like to break and others that we would like to develop. People often blame these unpleasant habits to laziness or unhealthy personality. However, Behaviorism dictates that we can learn and unlearn these habits.

Effectively reinforcing a positive behavior and not rewarding a negative one can help change various areas in one’s life. With this principle in mind, here are 4 things that you can do create better study habits at home.

#1: SET YOUR STUDY GOALS

It is not enough to say that you want to study more! You must set quantifiable and realistic goals to meet your objectives for the day. Setting your study goals includes two things – identifying your goals and knowing which resources you will need.

For instance, you want to study for 3 hours daily (i.e., quantifiable and realistic). You successfully meet this study goal by utilizing a conducive study space and by having school supplies on-hand.

#2: TAKE ACTION

After clearly setting your goals, you must bravely take your first attempt. If it is too much to drastically start with 3 hours of study time per day, you can start with at least 45 minutes daily. Gradually increase your study time as the weeks pass by.

Having a physical boundary between your study area and your relaxation area could be very helpful. This can also help you to contain your academic stress within the study space. Furthermore, you can stay focused when studying from home by following a routine. Establishing a routine will provide more structure to your life and more cues to your brain.

#3: MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS

Monitoring your progress includes tracking your milestones and altering your goals based on your evaluation of the current situation. To illustrate this, you can have a study log to record your study time and daily assignments.

You can also analyze the factors that hinder you from studying, such as distractions from external noises or social media. Then, add another goal that is fit to counteract these distractions such turning your handphone off for 3 hours. Use this time to take down notes during your online classes.

#4: REWARD YOURSELF

Positive reinforcement such as entertaining or monetary compensation can increase the repetition of the desired behavior. Therefore, different companies use positive reinforcement to attract you into purchasing more of their products.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

You must figure out a well-deserved reward for successfully studying during the allotted amount of time. You can indulge in your favorite dessert, have a relaxing bath, or call your friends via Zoom. For optimum results, keep the reward scheme consistent each time you reach a study goal.

Sources: 1 & 2

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Avoid These 5 Job Search Mistakes

Landing a decent job is harder than before. In fact, it can take approximately 7.4 months of full-time job hunting to acquire a job. It all falls down to the details of the application process.

If you have been searching for jobs for a while but have not had as much success as you would like, you might succumb to frustration. Perhaps, a change in your current approach is needed. Let us explore other ways to strengthen your job search.

#1: SENDING A GENERIC COVER LETTER AND CV

Hiring managers or recruiters spend an average of six seconds on a CV or Curriculum Vitae. You read that right! Therefore, you must focus on the contents of your cover letter and your CV to make it shine. Each institution will show interest in various aspects of your past work experiences. Highlight the experiences and skills that are related to the job vacancy.

Create a simple, organized, and concise CV/cover letter. Demonstrating your performance by adding measurable metrics such as your previous sales is another factor that many employers look at. Adding measurable metrics can give the hiring manager a clearer picture of your capabilities.

#2: NOT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS

Many employers assess how applicants follow simple directions. The application process itself may have directions to test the applicants such as underlining certain words or answering an essay. Knowing if the applicant can follow orders is crucial to know whether he or she has a keen eye for detail.

Take your time in reading and following the instructions. Otherwise, you run the risk of your application being considered. This happens when there is a high-volume of applicants.

#3: HAVING NUMEROUS SPELLING AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS

Employers will evaluate your linguistic skills both in written and verbal format. If you are eyeing on a specific position, you can impress the hiring managers with flawless CV and cover letter.

Proofread your documents twice or more. You can check your grammar and spelling through websites such as Grammarly and WordCounter.

#4: KEEPING IT A SECRET

It is more advantageous for you to tell others that you are on the market for a new job. You need to get the word out so people can recommend you for suitable job vacancies. You will never know how far your professional and social network extends!

For instance, Banking and Finance is one of the most in-demand industries in Singapore. If you are looking for a position in this field, you are likely to know some friends or relatives who can help you out. While you want to be more subtle during your job search, consider personally asking people if they know any related positions that you could fill. They might even get compensated for referring you.

#5: SKIPPING THE FOLLOW-UPS

In the initial stages of your job search, you have done everything to make sure that things are playing in your favor. You proofread your cover letters diligently and you sent them out to various prospective employers. However, you did not get a response. What went wrong?

In many cases, if your application fulfills all the requirements of the job and leaves a good impression, the problem could simply be a lack of follow-up messages. The HR personnel might have forgotten to get back to you. Thus, it is important to send out a batch of follow-up emails. You can send these a week after you sent the set of applications. You will be surprised to see how many employers will respond after sending your follow-up emails.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Applying for a new position is always challenging and requires a great deal of preparation and confidence. While CV and cover letters mark the start of your journey – ensuring these are well-crafted is half the battle.

We wish you the best of luck!

Sources: 1 & 2

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How to beat “coronasomnia” with CBT-inspired ways

insomnia

Way before the pandemic started, people have been trying to overcome insomnia. But coupled with the stress, changes, and uncertainty of COVID-19, more people are facing sleep deprivation. Simply put, the world has termed it as “coronasomnia”.

Chronically bad sleep is not just a condition that disrupts your rest pattern. It’s capable of attacking the immune system and affect memory and attention span. Furthermore, it could increase your chances of getting depression, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Studies have even shown that your sleep corresponds with your life span. This means that the shorter your rest is, the shorter your time in life would be. In fact, folks over 50 years of age have a higher risk of getting dementia if they sleep less than 6 hours per night.

Considering these negative consequences, maybe it’s time that we do something about it. So here’s how to beat “coronasomnia” with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-inspired ways.

#1: Chuck your worries into the bin

When we say to chuck your worries into the bin, you can take our word literally for it.

You can do so by sitting down an hour or two before bed with a blank piece of paper. Then, pen down all your worries or the tasks that are creeping into your mind. It could be the urgent emails you have to reply to in the morning or the presentation at noon.

“If most of what you’ve written down is stuff that you’re worried about, then crumple up the paper and throw it in the trash – that’s called discharging your thoughts,” said Dr Ilene M Rosen, a sleep medicine doctor and associate professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

#2: 25 minutes’ the limit

The above symbolic dumping act should help you clear your mind and prepare your body for rest. However, don’t stay in bed forever just to try to fall asleep if you can’t.

“If you stay in bed awake for long periods of time, your brain thinks, ‘Every time I get into bed, this is the place where I should be awake.’ And you need to break that association,” said Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr Walker is also the author of the best-selling book Why We Sleep. He advises us to get up if we can’t fall asleep within 25 minutes or get back into slumber after waking in the night. 

Once you’re up, find a relaxing activity to do. It could be reading a book, engaging in a short meditation session, or simply listening to a calming podcast. Once you feel a little sleepy, slowly ease yourself back into bed and rest.

#3: Away with those screens

It has almost become a standardised habit for many to use their phones while lying in bed. But we all know it harms our bodies thanks to the blue light it emits. So instead of signalling your brain that it’s time to rest, your brain is mistaken that it should be awake.

Therefore, set rules to be away from those bright screens when you hit the sack. Or a good guideline could be to use it while standing up if you have to use your phone past bedtime.

“You’ll find after about 10 minutes of standing up at your normal bedtime that you’re going to say, ‘I need to lie down,’ – and that’s your body telling you that you need to put the phone away and get to sleep,” said Dr Walker.

Final thoughts
Smiling-doctor-looking-at-patient-lying-in-bed

Image Credits: eossleep.com

Be mindful that the above CBT-inspired methods are just ways to cope with occasional bouts of insomnia. But for peeps suffering from long-term sleep issues and can’t function normally, do seek professional opinions.

“Don’t suffer in silence. Ask for help if you need it. There are sleep physicians everywhere, and that’s what we’re here for,” noted Dr Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep medicine specialist and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

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