'I Had A Black Dog, His Name Was Depression' Plus, 'Living With A Black Dog'

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Litner, LMFT, CST — Written by Leah Campbell — Updated on June 3, 2021

You don’t need the “blaông xã dog” metaphor lớn talk about depression. Though a metaphor may help you visualize your condition, it’s not needed for managing symptoms.

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Human beings throughout the centuries have sầu had khổng lồ find ways to lớn live with và manage depression. They also developed metaphors and similes khổng lồ express how the condition made them feel.

As early as 65 B.C., the Roman poet Horace wrote of “blaông chồng dog” depression — essentially having a blachồng dog trailing behind a person as a symbol of depression. It was a mô tả tìm kiếm Winston Churchill found so apt that he later adopted it himself. And in 2011, the Blaông xã Dog Campaign began in the United Kingdom to lớn raise awareness and resources for those living with depression.

The symbolism is that of a sullen dog that a person is struggling to get off their backs. It link bachồng lớn the idea of dogs guarding the afterlife & an absence of color và light.

Still, the term itself is seen as problematic because it associates the color blaông xã with something bad. While the original term never had anything khổng lồ bởi vì with race, it raises valid questions about the underpinnings of racism rooted deeply within our society.

As such, it’s important khổng lồ note that the metaphor could really be any imagery that speaks lớn an individual’s experience with depression, whether that be an angry cat, a circling vulture, or a carnivorous plant.

Still, while metaphors may help you visualize your condition, they’re ultimately unnecessary for managing your symptoms. In fact, they may even be problematic as they can create the illusion that a mental health condition isn’t real.

Whether you use a metaphor or not, there are things you can vì chưng to lớn help keep depression at bay.

Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions. For instance, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), just over 7% of American adults experienced at least one episode of depression in 2017.

Many people who experience one episode of depression may encounter additional episodes and may even learn lớn recognize the signs that a bout of depression may be coming on.

For people who rely on a metaphor to describe their depression, this is the significance of “hearing the depression ‘dog’ growling,” in that it represents the way a person may feel as depression sneaks up on them once again.

Whether you’re feeling a new episode of depression coming on or you’ve been living with the condition for a long time, there are things you can vì to lớn keep symptoms at cất cánh.

Breathe

It’s easy to panic when you begin khổng lồ recognize the signs of a depressive sầu episode, especially if you’ve had a particularly bad bout of depression in the past. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t want khổng lồ go through that again and that the threat of losing pieces of yourself & the life you’ve built lớn depression might sover you inkhổng lồ a bit of a spiral.

But try to lớn remember: Panicking won’t help. If anything, it may further confuse your mind & may make it even more difficult for you khổng lồ find your way through these feelings you want to escape.

When you start khổng lồ feel overwhelmed by the onmix of depressive symptoms, try khổng lồ take a moment & breathe.

Retìm kiếm has shown that slow, deep breathing techniques may help reduce găng tay, anxiety, và depression. The scientists even propose that these techniques may be used as first-line and supplemental treatments for these conditions.

Taking deep breaths và paying cthua kém attention as the air fills your abdomen on inhale & then releases on exhale may give sầu you a chance khổng lồ slow down and better assess what may be going on in your life that could be contributing lớn the feelings you’re experiencing.

Here are some specific deep breathing exercises you can try.

Reach out

Sometimes we all need a minute to vent lớn a friover or problem-solve with a family member. This is often also so much easier to lớn vày at the beginning of a depressive sầu episode than once rooted inside that episode.

Don’t hesitate lớn reach out lớn a loved one when you feel the signs of depression coming on.

Why not piông chồng up the phone và Điện thoại tư vấn, or even better, get outside together for a walk or hike where you can both enjoy some sunshine as you talk?

After all, retìm kiếm has found that both daily exercise & exposure lớn sunlight can help reduce symptoms of depression.

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It may not solve everything you’re dealing with, but sometimes just the reminder that you have people in your corner who care about you và your mental well-being can help.

Focus on gratitude

Depression lies. It tells us we are all alone, that no one cares about us, that we have nothing in our lives khổng lồ appreciate or look forward lớn.

If you’ve been feeling this way, it isn’t your fault — it’s depression. But it also isn’t true. No matter how bad things are, we all have sầu something to be grateful for.

Reminding ourselves of that can sometimes help lớn counteract the lies depression tells us. It may not make your depression go away, but it can serve as a healthy reminder of the good you vày still have sầu in your life.

Some research even suggests that practicing gratitude & writing down things you’re grateful for may reduce symptoms of depression.

It’s a good idea khổng lồ try dedicating some time each day to lớn focusing on gratitude. Perhaps you want to write down the things you’re grateful for, or you may want lớn make it a habit to lớn discuss those things as a family at dinner each night — whatever works best for you.

Evaluate your situation

Sometimes there is a trigger for depression that can be fairly simple to lớn identify. Have sầu you experienced a recent loss in your life? Or have sầu you lapsed in your own self-care?

If you’re experiencing depression, it can be important khổng lồ step baông chồng và try khổng lồ assess what the most recent trigger may have sầu been — especially if that trigger is something you may be able khổng lồ quickly or easily resolve, like evaluating whether your medication is working for you or whether it may be time khổng lồ check in with your treatment team about a possible change in dosage or medication.

An evaluation of your situation can also help you to lớn identify the tools you may have sầu at your disposal for feeling better:

Who vì you have in your life that you can reach out to? What options vì you have sầu nearby for getting out và enjoying the sun & exercise every day? What might hobbies help you to stay busy & keep your mind off the weight of depression coming over you?

Whatever the case may be, a full assessment of your situation can help you size a better picture of what’s going on and what you can do to resolve sầu it.

Make a plan

The early warning signs of depression don’t always develop the way you fear they might. Occasionally, you may find you’re able khổng lồ pull yourself out of that state fairly quickly and that it never becomes a full-blown depressive sầu episode. But sometimes, it does.

Establishing a plan early on for how you’ll giảm giá khuyến mãi with that if it happens can be key to getting through it.

Once you’re in the middle of a deep depression, it can be difficult to lớn see your way out and ask for help. That’s why a plan becomes important.

Perhaps you promise yourself that you’ll mix up an appointment with a therapist if you’re still feeling this way in a week. Or maybe you agree lớn talk with your doctor about adjusting your meds after a period of time.

You may even find that planning for a change of scenery — a trip to see family or a vacation with friends — proves to lớn be exactly what you need.

The point is lớn have a plan for addressing ongoing feelings of depression. Because if you plan now, you can be better prepared later.

The above sầu tips may be all you need khổng lồ keep yourself from spiraling into a deep depression when caught early enough. But sometimes, no matter what you do, it catches up to lớn you anyway.

When that happens, reaching out for help can be crucial. If you’re experiencing any of the following, it’s advisable khổng lồ phối up an appointment with a medical professional or therapist lớn discuss your treatment options:

trouble getting up and going to lớn work or schoola loss of interest in things you once enjoyedthoughts of suicide or self-harmdifficulty concentratinga loss of memoryfinding it difficult khổng lồ make decisionsirritability that is impacting your relationshipssleeping too much, or having a hard time sleeping at alleating too much or too little

Remember: Depression is a treatable condition, and there is always help available.

Depression impacts many people every year — you’re not alone if it is affecting you.

The good news is that you also don’t have sầu to be alone in working through those feelings. There are people in your life who care about you & medical professionals who want khổng lồ help.

So if you notice signs of a depressive episode, you don’t have sầu lớn sit alone with it. Consider reaching out lớn someone who cares about you & let them know what you’re feeling. Then maybe get outside và see if some fresh air in the company of a supportive sầu ally helps.

If you’re not ready khổng lồ speak with a friover or family thành viên about your depression, consider calling a depression tư vấn Hỗ trợ tư vấn. Sometimes opening up khổng lồ a stranger is easier than talking with someone you know.

With the right tools, treatment, và support by your side, you can manage your depression and live sầu a fulfilling life.