For those who struggle with on-and-off bouts of depression, recognizing an impending cycle is one of the most important parts of stopping it. Those very early stages of a depressive cycle are just the time when you can still take action to prevent yourself from slipping entirely into a depression. The reason behind this is that, you’re still in a good enough mental state to recognize the transition from happy to depressed. When someone is in the middle of a depressive episode, they often do not realize it, and when we don’t acknowledge a problem, we aren’t going to try to fix it. If you haven’t quite yet slipped into a depression, you still have the distance to see it coming. Keep a journal and make a note of early signs of your depressive episodes. Here are some symptoms to look for.
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You won’t make solid plans
You refuse to make solid plans with anyone. If someone asks you to do something as simple as grab lunch in a few days, you hesitate to make any promises. Your depressive brain recognizes that you soon may not have enough control over your moods to bring yourself to socialize. Maintaining friendships while depressed is very difficult, but not impossible.
