Changes in appearance and symptoms caused by depression and efforts to overcome it

It seems that a sudden incident in my once peaceful family caused my mental state to remain unsettled. As a result, depression, which I never expected to face, appeared, and I would like to talk about the changes and symptoms I experienced, as well as the processes I am going through to overcome them.

Depression does not seem to be a disease experienced alone. I am still endlessly grateful for the hearts and advice of my family, close friends, and acquaintances around me. It all started with a family issue. As my spouse's business did not go well, I experienced things I had never encountered before. Debt collection calls from financial companies, visits, increasing loan interest, and so on—these were huge shocks to me, who had lived a safe life, avoided risks, and had no interest in business or similar matters.

I started to feel a sense of betrayal and loss of trust towards my spouse, which led to insomnia. I couldn't bring myself to talk to acquaintances, so I became socially avoidant, avoiding contact, cutting off communication, and even disappearing for a while. When insomnia persists, a person becomes dazed. If this dazed state repeats, it makes you more sensitive, and your emotions become turbulent. Throughout the day, my mood would swing wildly, going from feeling good to feeling bad repeatedly. As these symptoms worsened, I started throwing objects and expressing anger through harsh words I had never used before in my life.

When I visited the Korean medicine clinic, they checked my pulse and said I was very angry. I also received psychological counseling. I expressed all the emotions I was feeling to the counselor, and they said I was showing signs of depression as my mind continued to be unstable and weak. The psychiatrist also confirmed this. It was something I had expected. I was scared and afraid of my uncontrollable self. I decided to acknowledge it first. I accepted my appearance while showing signs of depression and started counseling and medication treatment.

Since actively trying to overcome depression early on is said to be more effective, I asked my family and friends for help and opened up about everything. Sharing my feelings made me feel relieved. With the support of my family and friends, I set a daily walking mission, starting each day with meditation, then going for a walk, and sitting on a bench during the walk to close my eyes and do some heart stretching. I tried to heal my deeply wounded heart by listening to the sound of water and birds with my eyes closed, and it has now become an indispensable part of my daily routine.

I started exercising to improve my insomnia and worked out until I was sweating. Sweating gives me an inexplicable sense of relief, refreshment, and clarity, so I continue to exercise regularly to sweat. As a result, my sleep duration is gradually increasing, and the quality of my sleep is also improving. I am accepting all forms of treatment—exercise, meditation, walking, counseling, and medication—and I am gradually getting better. I am beginning to acknowledge myself, receiving support from those around me, and actively seeking out things I can do on my own. I feel myself becoming brighter, my mind growing stronger. Being alone in darkness is difficult, but even if I am in darkness, being with someone makes it better. Please pay attention to and look after the people around you.