Emotions: Feeling depressed

It's been a while since I wrote last. Been busy and passing through a lot lately.

Depression is a kind of mental issue that makes some people feel anxious and sad even though they have many reasons to be happy. Some people have the tendency of killing themselves when they get depressed.

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It is a mood disorder characterized by low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, and poor concentration.

Depression can affect one's life in many ways. It can affect how you eat and sleep. It can also affect your ability to concentrate. It can make it hard to enjoy once pleasurable activities, like sports and recreation.

How it all started

A couple of weeks back the Government of Nigeria took an action of demonetizing ₦200 ₦500 and ₦1000 Currency notes. The big question was how would this affect the people. I had seen a few videos online about how people felt about this move but I never knew it would be this worse.

Old note;
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After the change in currency in my country, it caused money scarcity. We now queue at banks just to withdraw the money they saved in their banks. This is enough to cause me more pain and stress. At times like that I could only imagine the worst and it would cause me more pain and stress and depression.

New notes; Image source

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I'm a student and I spend my time in the agony of not being able to afford basic necessities as food and transportation.
Everyday is a struggle, I'd leave home as early as 6am, I would rush to ensure a place in the long queue lines outside ATMs and banks.

We now buy money

In some places the local POS started charging an extra fee on withdrawals. Suddenly money was becoming scarce and everyone moved to the digital space. When cash becomes scarce people use more digital platforms to make transactions.

The cashless policy would have worked if there are stable networks and a well designed bank app/ cash app. But that is not the case here, online transactions not going through, no cash at hand, while there is cash in bank. Isn't that enough to cause depression?

It has been a long time since I last felt for depression or anxiety. It's a recurring problem that every human being must face in their lifetime. Some face it sooner than others but we all do. Sometimes it can be so overwhelming that our entire lives can become about the struggle to feel better.

The most important thing to remember during these times is that thoughts aren't facts. If your mind is playing tricks on you and telling you things that aren't true, you must learn to ignore it and focus on the truth.

Thanks for reading 💚