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How to distinguish temporary blues from a dangerous illness.
If we list the possible symptoms of depression, there will be more than one hundred of them, because almost any discomfort in the body or change in the psyche can be its manifestation.
We took the most common symptoms and grouped them into nine groups. They are somewhat similar to the Hamilton Depression Scale, a template questionnaire that psychiatrists, psychotherapists and general practitioners can use to screen for depression. This scale contains a minimum of standard questions that help the doctor not to forget anything and collect as much information as possible.
Remember that the most accurate way to rule out depression is to talk to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.
Here is a list of signs that may indicate depression.
What is crying
In the corners of the eyes there are small glands that produce a clear liquid with dissolved proteins and salts necessary to nourish, moisturize and cleanse the cornea.
These are tears; they are released reflexively under the influence of signals from the autonomic nervous system. But sometimes emotions interfere with the process. Humans are the only The neurobiology of human crying creatures on earth who are capable of crying under the influence of feelings. Tears can appear because of a touching film, music, important events in life, or out of sympathy. Crying is caused by both positive and negative emotions.
Scientists are still exploring The neurobiology of human crying the mental and neural processes that underlie the appearance of emotional tears. Crying is believed to be associated with temperament and upbringing, personality traits and gender, as well as the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin and the brain hormones oxytocin, vasopressin and prolactin. These substances are involved in the formation of attachment and social behavior. Therefore, separation and loss of a loved one leads to sadness and tears.
Scientists have also found that women cry more often than men. This is associated with the action of The neurobiology of human crying testosterone, which inhibits emotional reactions.
Physiological methods
A person can cry over little things, but not everyone knows how to prevent it. There are people who are so emotional that their mood changes at any sensitive moment. In this case, it is worth trying methods that will help you stop crying.
- Blinking frequently or not blinking at all. For some people, frequent blinking or lack thereof, as well as opening their eyes to their full width, causes tears. When the muscles are tense and the eyes are wide open, they stop the flow of tears.
- Smile. To stop being sad, you can laugh out loud. This has a positive effect on the entire body. Laughter eliminates irritation, dissatisfaction and prevents the occurrence of nervous tension. You can go through comical, funny and amusing situations in your memory or see something funny on the side.
- You can stop the flow of tears by squeezing your nose. The source of this method is physiological patterns: the tear ducts run from the bottom of the eyes to the nose.
- Muscle relaxation. Tearfulness is caused by prolonged nervous overstrain and neuroses. The following exercises will help you unload. You can start by tensing and weakening the muscles of your toes, gradually moving to your ankles, and then your pelvic muscles. And follow further, right up to the head. This must be done alternately for 30 seconds. This method also helps solve sleep problems.
- Painful sensations. You can try to distract yourself from crying by causing yourself minor discomfort. Pinch, pull hair. This distracting action is suitable if there are no traces left on the body. You shouldn't engage in tyranny.
- Control over the body. If the approach of tears is close, move. Walk, stretch your fists. This is sometimes enough to stop crying. Great effort is required to control the body.
- Retreat. In order to stop crying when you are shouted at, you can leave the place of conflict to prevent the manifestation of emotions. Once your peace of mind is restored, you can resume the conversation.
Psychological methods
There are certain ways that will help you stop feeling sorry for yourself and crying over little things.
- Leave for later. Whenever you want to cry, you should try to postpone this idea. Even if it is difficult to do, you must try to normalize your mental balance. Concentration is important. It is necessary to mentally gather yourself in order to overcome the tears that have come. Do not forget that the absence of crying is generally impossible. Systematic suppression of tears contributes to mental disorders and breakdowns. You can resort to something that can distract you: watch a funny video on the Internet, count examples.
- Meditation. In this case, it is not necessary to go deep into yoga; you can study several methods, namely: you should retire, position yourself so that it is comfortable, close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly and deeply.
- Put it on paper. You can write about what upsets you and makes you cry. This method is equivalent to a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend.
- Gratitude. Many times a person may want to cry because of problems on the personal front. In this case, you need to think about past negative situations and stop feeling sorry for yourself. It is worth understanding that more serious problems were experienced. Don’t forget to thank fate and God for the good moments in life.
Theories of crying
Elephants, seals, otters and, of course, crocodiles can shed tears. True, for them this is a way to get rid of excess salt in the body without any sentimentality. When it comes to human crying, there are many theories about its origin. According to one of the ancients (XVI-XVII centuries), it was believed that when emotions heat up the heart, the body produces steam to cool it down. It turned out that tears are something like a condensation of emotional steam that accumulates between the eyes and the brain when our pot begins to boil.
This was believed until the Danish anatomist Niels Stensen discovered the lacrimal gland in 1662 - however, the image was firmly entrenched in the collective consciousness and largely influenced Freud’s ideas about catharsis. And in the 80s of the last century, researcher William Frey discovered a protein in emotional tears and suggested that tears remove toxic substances formed during stress. Since then, there has been no research to support this idea, and yet it still seems plausible to many.
Today, scientists do not see a direct relationship between the number of tears shed and the level of stress. A study of the dependence of mood on tears conducted by Dutch scientists did not give entirely clear results. Subjects were shown sad films, and those who did not cry while watching them reported stable moods both before watching and 20 and 90 minutes after. Those who cried felt much worse after watching, but reported an improvement in their mood as time passed. Such an assessment is subjective, therefore it is impossible to say whether the emotional state has really improved or whether it is a matter of banal contrast.
