Stress and Depression are two of the most common mental disorders. They both hinder our ability to live normal lives. Sometimes the two can even occur together. Many people find it difficult to distinguish between the two.
Mild anxiety is quite normal. You may get it before a job interview, a performance, a test, or presentation. Sometimes stress can be good. This is called Eustress. This stress can help you with motivation and performance. It keeps you sharp. But stress has a limit, and if it goes over that limit it can hinder your ability to do things. This is when one experiences anxiety. Anxiety is a persistent, exaggerated fear of a situation or event. This can interfere with your daily routine.
Depression usually occurs from loss, or hopelessness. Hope and seeing the brighter side of things keeps us going, but if one losses those thoughts it can lead to low moods and persistent sadness. Depression is known to occur in more women than men. Men tend to show more anger and frustration, while women show more worthlessness and guilt. Children and teenagers also experience depression. Children may become depressed due to separation from parents when they start school, or fear of parents dying. This may manifest as school refusal. Depressed teenagers can become sulky, irritable, and get in trouble in school.
Anxiety focuses more on future events, while Depression tends to stem from past events. They are both disabling disorders, as all disorders are. This is why Mindfulness and having a positive mindset is important. I do believe these two things can help reduce these two disorder from recurring. Having this mindset has reduced my anxiety, and my depression is close to non-existent. Although, a recent loss made me a bit sad, and I did have lots of negative thoughts. I was able to overcome the sadness in a couple of days. Depression tends to occur when one has persistent low moods for more than two weeks. Now you may still get anxious and depressed. These things are unavoidable, but these approaches can help you cope with a troubling situation better. And as I mentioned, it can decrease the likelihood of getting anxious or depressed. Just use everyday to try to mindfully see what you are doing, try to mindfully listen to what you hear, including music you listen to, try to mindfully see what is around you. When I say mindfully, it mean awareness of the moment you are in without judgment, no negative or positive thoughts. Just see the moment as it is. Also, go into everyday with a positive mindset. Even one positive thought can do wonders. You got to start somewhere. I think these things can help calm your mind and cultivate happiness and peace in an unpredictable and unstable world we live in.
Psychology of Mindfulness 