The Loneliness Epidemic is a concern as loneliness grows around the world. However, depression is another factor in the Loneliness Epidemic. For those who have depression, it can increase the feeling of loneliness. You must first know your enemy, depression before you can work to defeat it and the Loneliness Epidemic.

Know Your Enemy: Depression

Know Your Enemy

You must know your enemy and yourself before you can successfully defeat your enemy which is depression. Sun Tzu writes in The Art of War “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” It is in the spirit of The Art of War that you can work to fight against depression. When you are prepared for it and know your enemy depression will be coming, you stand a better chance of defeating it because you have built a position on high ground for battle.

Depression

Depression, clinical depression or major depressive disorder, is common but is a serious mood disorder which includes excessive sadness, loss of interest in enjoyable things, and low motivation. Depression is a mental illness that most people do not understand unless they have it. Depression is much more than feeling sad, or feeling blue, as people many people generalize depression since they do not understand it. Depression can affect your ability to work, sleep, eat, and to perform everyday activities depending on how severe the depression is for someone. When depression is combined with loneliness, it can leave you with a feeling of hopeless and feeling dead in inside because you believe that nobody wants to spend time with you.

Signs of depression can be broken down into psychological and physical categories. Psychological signs that you may have depression include loss of interest in pleasure and activities that you enjoy, slower thinking along with poor concentration, and having thoughts that you are guilty and not worthy which can lead to suicidal thoughts. If you have depression and you experience depression to the point that you have suicidal thoughts than call the Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. The physical signs that you may have depression are a loss of appetite, loss of interest in sex, loss of energy, loss of sleep and sleep exhaustion or even oversleeping, and also slowed speech and activity.

Defeating The Enemy

Now that you know your enemy depression, it is time to create a battle plan to defeat it. Depression is tricky because it is a chemical imbalance. The first step to beating the depression is working to beat your negative thoughts that tell you that are unworthy by slowly introducing positive thoughts over time. A strategy to do this is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  Medication along with Electroconvulsive Therapy along with exercise are also options. If you have depression, then look into options and talk to your doctor to better help you to deal with it and to work to resolve it.

Summary

The Loneliness Epidemic is a problem and depression can only make it the epidemic worse for people who have depression. Learn how to fight your enemy by knowing and understanding the root causes of depression and then work to defeat it. Work hard to study and know your enemy because then you can defeat depression in future battles and aim to win the war.

Views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment or financial advice. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free!