5 Signs You're Not Lazy But Depressed

Disclaimer: These signs are just for educational purpose, please don't use them for diagnosis and treatment. It is advised to visit your mental healthcare specialist if you found these signs familiar to you. There is no intention of demotivating you or hurt you, so please read it for your knowledge only.

We have days when we just wanted to stay on our bed and lie down the whole day without doing anything. We often also felt that we have nothing to do in life and can't see anything that can give direction to our life. You should not consider that you are the only one who is experiencing it because everyone has bad days in our life. This feeling makes us feel lazy, and make our mind full of negativity and unimaginative.

Living in a society without earning any money or without making something productive is a huge challenge because people of this society are so fascinated by wealth and money that they think you are lazy and worthless, which makes you feel guilty about yourself. We always try to live up to the standards of society decided by the people that make us overwork even if we are living under the burden of stress. This can impact our mental and emotional health so adversely. 

There are chances that the feeling and emotions which you are suffering from, are not just your laziness, it can be something else like depression.

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Signs You're Not Lazy But Depressed

#1

You can't get yourself out of it

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Generally, we all become lazy when we have some important work that needs to be done, or when we have been working hard for long hours. Even we try many tricks and ideas to overcome our laziness like we create a proper schedule by planning our activities, watch speeches by motivational speakers, etc. but you find that they all are not working on you. So, maybe these are the sign of depression because depression cannot be easily snipped out by using these techniques. No matter what people say about you, you should go for proper medication and therapies, because depression is a severe mental condition that requires expert treatment. 

#2

You're disinterested in everything

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When you start losing interest in the activities, then it is considered as a serious mark of depression, as per the reports by American Psychological Association. The activities and hobbies which used to be your favourite one, like listening to music, watching movies, does not seem interested to you, then there is something else than just your laziness. You also start losing interest in the people with whom you are connected emotionally, which makes you careless. You stop caring for everyone and everything without thinking about the emotions of the people you are surrounded by, you only want to lie on your bed and do nothing,  then it may be the sign of depression, not laziness.

#3

You can't make yourself happy

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When you ask yourself why you are feeling lonely and sad, and you don't find any reason for it, then maybe it is a sign of depression. When you are feeling low, you try to make yourself happy by doing the activities that always makes you happy, but you do not find happiness in them anymore. To make yourself happy, you go with your friends for a party and chill, taking proper sleep, eating proper food, taking self-care tips, but still, you find yourself exhausted and downcast. You even don't understand why you are feeling it and why you have become so unmotivated and disheartened, you can't able to cheer yourself. This is because you are struggling with depression, not laziness, which cannot be overcome easily.

#4

You find difficulty in functioning

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If you find that laziness is dominating over you, you cannot manage your work, your assignments, your job and the tasks on your to-do list is increasing every day, things are getting difficult for you to manage because you are not functioning like you used to, then this is something more than just your laziness. When depression is treated by a psychologist, they search for 4 Ds of abnormality, danger,  deviance, dysfunction and distress. When you stop functioning, then it is considered as a dysfunction which is a sign of depression. If you find it difficult in completing your daily life activities because of dysfunction, then you should consult medical and psychology professionals.

#5

Your "laziness" is not your decision

The most important thing to note is depression and laziness is two completely different things. The main difference between depression and laziness is: laziness can be overcome and changed, but it is not applicable in depression. When you find yourself unmotivated and exhausted, you try to overcome it by getting proper rest, reading books, joining brainstorming sessions, and learn some hacks for being productive. But in the case of depression, there is nothing like it. You cannot overcome depression instantly, if you talk to a professional related to clinical depression, they will tell you that laziness and depression is not your decision and cannot be treated instantly. Psychologists also found that people suffering from depression usually feel shame, helpless and guilt. If you see anyone with these symptoms, please don't assume they are pretending to be depressed.

My suggestion is you can even try reading books and novels too. I mentioned some of the good novels that will help you:

I hope you have read all the signs and now become aware of the difference between laziness and depression. If you are suffering from laziness for a long time and find these signs similar to you, then I suggest you consult any medical professional in mental healthcare. Depression can have so many adverse effects on your life, it is better if you start getting treatment earlier.

That's all for this post, if you want to read about related topics, you can check out my other posts too.

Stay healthy & take care.

References

Psych2go.net. 2020. 6 Signs You’re Depressed, Not Lazy – Psych2Go. [online] Available at: <https://psych2go.net/6-signs-youre-depressed-not-lazy/> [Accessed 6 June 2021].