Depression can make the days feel flat.
Some people notice depression as a sadness that won’t lift.
Others feel it as tiredness, numbness or a fog, like watching the world pass by from far away.
Some only notice it when someone close to them says they don’t seem like themselves.
Maybe you feel:
- empty
- exhausted
- numb
- tearful
Depression can be your body’s way of slowing down when life asks too much.
Understanding your depression can help you meet it with kindness.
What is Depression?
Depression is a low mood or loss of interest that lasts and makes daily life harder.
It can affect your energy, sleep, appetite, focus and how you see yourself.
Depression can be your body’s way of conserving energy after too much stress, loss or pain.
Depression is very common, and many people experience it at some point in their lives.
It can look different across ages and cultures, from irritability in teens to aches and fatigue in older adults.
Depression often shows up in ways people don’t expect.
Signs and Symptoms of Depression
Physical
- aches and pains
- heavy limbs
- skipping meals
- sleeping late
Mental
- blanking out
- forgetting things
- losing track
- scrolling for hours
Emotional
- crying easily
- excessive guilt
- frustration
- restlessness
Social
- canceling plans
- going quiet
- ignoring texts
- pulling away
What Causes Depression?
Many things can lead to depression, from your body and your history to your life right now:
- Your body: genetics, hormones, chronic pain, illness and some medications can play a part.
- Your experiences: loss, trauma, burnout or a big change can leave your body depleted.
- Your relationships: loneliness, conflict or growing up without enough warmth can weigh on you.
- Your circumstances: money worries, poverty, discrimination, isolation or long dark winters can make depression more likely.
Pulling away can protect your energy, and it can also cut you off from what helps you feel better.
Your body has learned to shut down for a reason.
Depression and Your Nervous System
Your nervous system has more than one way to respond when life feels like too much.
Fight and flight speed you up so you can act.
When acting isn't safe, your body can shift into shutdown, a low and slow state.
If that state deepens into collapse, it can look and feel like lasting depression.
Your chemistry moves with it, as calming chemicals like serotonin and oxytocin run lower.
Shutdown is your body's way of protecting you.
Your body can come back into balance when it has what it needs.
Depression and Trauma
What if slowing down once kept you safe?
After trauma, your body may stay in shutdown long after the danger has passed.
Reminders like a date, a place or a feeling of being trapped can pull you back into it.
That's part of why low days can come without warning.
Depression after trauma can look like going quiet around conflict, giving up before trying or not wanting to need anyone.
Each of these once helped you get through something too big to face.
Feeling can return slowly, as your body learns it’s safe enough to come back.
Ways to Care for Yourself
Let it be heavy
Feel the heaviness without needing to lift it. It's okay to be right where you are today.
Go slow
Move at whatever pace you can today, even if it's very slow. You can sit and rest whenever you need to.
Let tears come
If tears come, let them fall for as long as they need. You can cry in the shower or watch a sad movie.
Notice what's here
Let your eyes rest on one thing nearby, like light and shadow on a wall or the leaves rustling in the wind.
When to Get Help
You might tell yourself you’re just tired, or that everyone feels this way.
But depression can quietly drain your energy and your interest in life.
It might be time to reach out if depression:
- makes basic tasks feel impossible
- takes the joy out of things
- has you collapsing after holding things together
- brings thoughts of not wanting to be here
You do not need to be in crisis to deserve care.
When you feel hopeless, it’s time to get help.
Therapy can help you find enough steadiness to feel like yourself again.
Questions About Depression
Why can't I just snap out of it?
Why do I feel nothing at all?
Why do I feel worse when I rest?
Why do I feel like a burden?
Is this depression or just sadness?
Is it normal to feel worse in winter?
Can depression cause physical pain?
What if I'm thinking about suicide?
Resources for Depression in Alberta
If you’re in immediate danger, call 911.
If you’re in crisis, call or text 988 any time, day or night. For more crisis lines across Alberta, visit our crisis support page.
Support Lines
- Mental Health Helpline: 1-877-303-2642. Free support and referrals for anyone in Alberta, 24/7.
- 211 Alberta: Call or text 211, or chat online, to find local mental health services and community supports.
- Health Link: 811. Talk to a nurse any time about sleep, appetite, pain or medication concerns.
Learn and Practice
- MyHealth Alberta: Read about depression on Alberta's trusted health information site.
- Insight Timer: A free app with thousands of guided meditations, music and talks for low days.
- Togetherall: Free, anonymous online peer support, moderated around the clock, for Albertans 16 and older.
Related Topics in This Library
Concerns
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