5 Ways Depression Can Secretly Ruin Your Life

2. Isolation

It’s incredible how much could change in a single year, right? Of all the things we had to adjust to, our social life was probably one of the most affected areas.

We spent months at end in lockdown wearing masks and social distancing (as we still should). We can only see our loved ones safely through the screen of a phone.

Sometimes it’s heartbreaking.

Many of us have probably had a hard time adjusting to all of these sudden changes; for some, they may even affect our social skills to the point we don’t know how (or don’t want) to communicate with those around us. These feelings might signal the beginning of depression.

Senior therapist Sally Baker also adds that spending too much time at home can decrease our vitamin D production. For years, low levels of vitamin D have been associated with symptoms of depression, which may be another reason why you’re feeling down.

3. Reliance of technology

Right now, the world is more dependent on technology than ever before – and although it sounds good, it also has a negative impact.

Don’t get me wrong! I am endlessly grateful for being able to check in with my parents who live across the country on a daily basis; in fact, now we can even see each other perfectly and it’s all just one smartphone call away.

On the other side of the coin, we end up spending hours scrolling down on social media or news platforms that are mostly filled with pandemic-related negative information. This type of depressing content actually forced some people to give up on checking their phone because they felt too affected by it.

Other people, though, may unconsciously become addicted to this toxic behavior known as ‘doom-scrolling.’ Basically, this type of people simply can’t help scrolling all day long to find mostly negative content that severely alters their thoughts and feelings.