An easy trap to find ourselves in when we are dealing with mental health challenges — particularly depression — is feeling overwhelmed.
Dr. Richard Raskin, a private-practice psychologist in the United States who specializes in stress management, thinks that depression can affect how we perceive the work we’re doing, and may even exacerbate those overwhelming feelings:
Depression impacts your judgment about what you ought to be doing, at work and socially: How much is enough? What is OK and not OK? How do others perceive me? A lot of this impaired judgment can make you hypercritical of yourself, especially at work. Combine that with feeling as though you are slogging through a swamp, and your perceptions may not be very trustworthy.
Maintaining a regular schedule is key to not magnifying the problem. Plus, getting out and accomplishing our typical tasks, according to Dr. Raskin, is “still better than staying home and focusing on your illness.”
In addition to keeping up your your regular schedule, avoid overscheduling yourself. If you struggle with maintaining your usual workload at work, school, or home, adding more to that schedule will just make things worse. For now, focus on what you know you can do — no matter how small. Each accomplishment can reinforce positive feelings for you and motivate you to keep going.
If things do become especially overwhelming, Dr. Ruskin says that we shouldn’t feel guilty about taking a break:
Then again, if you really cant function, you have to be compassionate with yourself. You deserve a break; take a sick day, whatever you need. Remember that you have a serious illness. This is not your fault and there is no reason to feel guilty.