I just read an interesting statistic: in the year 2007 between 30 and 50 percent of married couples who suffer marital strife; one partner suffers from depression! (and I'm sure that these statistics haven't got any better.) I think that we can safely assume, according to these statistics, that a good place to start to restore your marriage is to tackle depression.
The first step to overcome depression and restore your marriage is obviously to diagnose that you or your spouse is suffering from depression and not some other disorder. After you "name it", the saying goes, then you can treat and "claim it".
In this article I will show you 4 tell-tale signs of depression that will be a warning for you to look for help.
1. Prolonged periods of sadness. I don't mean that if you or your spouse are sad for a day or two then you should run to your doctor to check for depression. Life has its ups and downs. However, if you see that you feel sad, Even After The Cause Of The Sadness Has Stopped, then the time has come to look for help.
2. Loss of self-worth and helplessness. Another symptom of depression is when you begin to hear from your spouse (or you notice your own self talk) how you are not a good mother or wife, how you are not a good father or husband, or that you are "a mistake". In my experience with parents and people, you are probably an all right mother/wife/father/husband/, who is doing a good job but could be better. Perfection is definitely not the default mode in this world.
3. Perpetual pessimism permeates your life. People generally feel that tomorrow (or next week, month, or year) will be better. This keeps the human race going. If you see that For A Long Period Of Time you see a very dim future, then you are probably suffering from depression and should look for some ways to overcome it.
4. Lose interest in taking pleasure and hobbies. Another sign of depression is when you lose interest in doing the things that normally give you pleasure for no understandable reason. If, however, you are crazy about a certain music artist and he dies suddenly so you can't listen anymore, this is NOT a sign of depression. Losing interested in hobbies and pleasures is only a sign of depression if you lose interest in them for no reason and you lose interest in ALL of your hobbies and pleasures.
Studies point in the direction that people who suffer from depression also suffer from marital strife. If you suffer from a bad marriage and want to restore your marriage to the way it was in those first enjoyable few years, then learn to spot the symptoms of depression so you can treat it and once again enjoy married life.
No comments:
Post a Comment