What are low mood and depression?
Find out more about low mood and depression, and why you might feel this way.
What is low mood?
We can’t feel happy all the time, but if you are often feeling low it can become difficult to cope with day-to-day life.
It’s normal for your mood to change; everyone experiences ups and downs, and your mood can be impacted by many different factors such as relationships, stress, hormones, and significant life events. Low mood can affect your mind and body, and it can affect people in many different ways.
What can it feel like?
It can vary how low mood affects a person; some people may be very tearful, while others may feel numb. You might feel too sad to socialise with friends and family, or you may simply feel too tired to engage with anything or anyone.
Some people may only have a short-term experience of low mood, while others may struggle with low mood for a longer period of time. If your low mood continues for a long time, this could be a sign of depression.
What is depression?
If you’ve been feeling low for more than a couple of weeks, or you are experiencing a persistent feeling of hopeless, sadness, or lack of pleasure in anything, you may be experiencing depression.
Depression is very common and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical symptoms. Depression impacts how you feel, think, and behave, and can affect things such as your sleep pattern, sex drive, and self-esteem.
Many people experience depression, and it isn’t something we can just ‘shake off’ or ‘get over’. It’s important to be kind to ourselves if we are experiencing depression, and to feel understood and supported by others. There are many forms of support available to help if you are feeling depressed, depending on what feels right for you.
What can depression look like?
Find out more about how to spot signs of depression and how it may be affecting you.
What can depression look like?
Spotting low mood or depression in people can be difficult. Sometimes it’s hard to recognise in yourself, or you may feel like you don’t really care or you are numb to what’s going on around you.
In addition to feeling low or not feeling pleasure for more than two weeks, the table below outlines some psychological, emotional, physical, and behavioural effects that depression can have on us:
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Am I experiencing depression?
Depression is extremely common, and the lowest points of depression often don’t last for long. However, it can be difficult to lift our mood if we are experiencing depression, and this can affect our daily lives in many different ways.
Consider if any of the following apply to you:
I am having thoughts of hurting myself
Depression affects everyone in different ways, and some of us may experience thoughts of harming ourselves or wanting to die. This can be distressing and frightening, however these thoughts are common in depression and tend to reduce when the depression eases.
A person may self-harm for a number of reasons, such as in an attempt to cope with depression or low mood, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. However, it is important to get help from a medical professional or your GP if you have immediate injuries to ensure they are treated properly. If you need urgent support, click here.
If you are concerned for your safety, it’s important to seek support. Scroll down to find details of services who can help.
I am having suicidal thoughts
Suicidal ideation (or suicidal thoughts) refers to when a person experiences thoughts of no longer wanting to be alive, or that others would be better off if they were not around. We can experience suicidal thoughts without actually wanting to die; often we feel unable to cope with life as it currently is and once we find further support, the suicidal thoughts usually reduce or disappear completely.
If you are experiencing suicidal ideation or thoughts of harming yourself and you are concerned for your safety, there are people who can help you through this:
Call 999 in an emergency or go to any hospital A&E department and ask for help if you are seriously injured or at immediate risk of harm.
Speak to Samaritans on 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline, open 365 days a year) or contact them in other ways here.
You can find further suicide prevention information and support through Grassroots, or by clicking Get Help Now.
You are not alone...
It's OK to not be OK. Watch this video to hear from Tony about his experience with low mood, how he noticed he needed support, and how talking to others helped him realise he wasn't alone.
What can help?
There are lots of different things you can try to and improve your mood. If these don't seem to help, it is always best to seek advice from your GP or refer yourself to your local NHS talking therapies service.
Asking for help can feel overwhelming and you may feel unsure about speaking to a doctor. If you are worried about this, click here for tips and advice for how to prepare for your appointment.
If you are experiencing depression, support can sometimes be given in the form medication, talking therapies or a combination of both. We all experience low mood or depression in different ways, so it’s important to think about what feels right for you.
If you're not sure who to talk to, there are local services that can help find the right support for you:
Southdown - Mental health recovery advice for people across Sussex
Mind - Mental health support across Sussex
Community Roots - Mental health and wellbeing support Brighton & Hove
Pathfinder - Mental health support in West Sussex
Self-Prescription: How can I feel better?
Click below for our tips and advice on how to cope with low mood or depression.
Remember: motivation follows action
When we feel depressed, we often want to wait until we feel better before we try to do more. However, doing the things we enjoy or things that give us a sense of achievement plays a big part in helping us to overcome depression.
It can be difficult to do this, especially if we don’t feel like it at all, but motivation follows action; in other words, by doing more even when we aren’t motivated, we will then be able to develop a sense of motivation or achievement more easily.
Overcoming low mood or depression takes time; you may not notice a difference immediately, but after a few weeks of doing things we used to enjoy or that gave us a sense of achievement, it’s likely that our mood will improve.
If you’re struggling to do things, it can help to plan ahead. Try scheduling enjoyable activities each day of the week by putting them in a diary or setting alerts on your phone to remind you.
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Stay connected
It may feel tempting to withdraw from friends and family when you’re feeling low but having regular social contact can really help to lift your mood. Planning to spend time or speak to a few people you trust, whether these are friends, colleagues, or members of your family, can help you feel more connected and remind you that you’re not alone.
If you find it difficult to stay in touch with people, set yourself alerts on your phone or in a diary to remind you.
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Be kind to your body
Low mood can make you feel lethargic and it may feel like a real struggle to leave the house at times, but keeping your body moving is really important for improving low mood.
Try to include getting outdoors, even just for a short time, in your day-to-day routine – for example, if you struggle to find time before or after work, try getting some fresh air during your lunch break instead.
Having a balanced diet and eating regularly will also help you to stay active and can help to improve sleep difficulties.
It may be tempting to turn to drugs or alcohol to try and lift your mood, however this can often make you feel worse. If you are concerned about your relationship with drugs or alcohol, you can find information and support here.
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Practise self-care
Create your own self-care toolkit with things that make you smile and can boost your mood when you feel low.
Self-care ideas could be:
- Writing your feelings in a diary
- Visiting or speaking to a friend
- Listening to a podcast or your favourite music
- Create something new (e.g. through drawing)
- Practising mindfulness or meditation
- Taking time for yourself to read or to do an exercise that you enjoy
- Spend quality time with your partner, friends or family – you could try having a regular movie night, or cooking together
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Get Help
If you feel that low mood or depression is getting in the way of your day-to-day life, it may be a good idea to get some help. Click here to find mental health support services in your area.
