What it's like to be diagnosed with depression

I’ve recently been officially diagnosed with depression. This came as quite a shock to me; although I knew I was feeling down I wasn’t aware of the extent of it.

For quite a while I’ve not felt myself. I haven’t wanted to focus any effort on myself or anything I do. It’s affected some of my friendships and made me become quite isolated and left out as I haven’t been participating in many conversations or events. 

Seeing as I’ve felt quite unusual for a couple of years, I decided to go to the doctor's and speak to them about it. They’ve helped me understand why I might be feeling like this and recommended that I speak to a counsellor or a family member and see if that helps, so that’s what I’ve done.

I chose to speak to a counsellor as I feel I can speak openly about all aspects of my life without the worry of offending someone.  The counsellor has helped me understand that there are some people and things in my life who have a negative influence and that could be affecting my mood, so I have distanced myself slightly from that and have chosen to focus on my school and my mind. I already feel so much better.

I am feeling much more relaxed and empowered now, as I am in control of how I feel and I don’t feel like there’s constantly a dark cloud following me around. I have adjusted my diet slightly to try and eat my five-a-day, as I find this helps bring my overall mood up and gives me a focus to aim for.