Have your emotions been in quarantine? Dysthymia is more than "feeling blue". People who struggle with Dysthymia are more than just pessimistic. They have a muddled outlook, and can rarely remember the last time they were happy or inspired about something. It is difficult to have fun, and their self-criticism revolves around persistent sense of shame, failure and low self-esteem. Many become "comfortable", taking on the gloom as an identity. "I am not worthy of happiness so why bother".

Dysthymia is a persistent mild or chronic depression, and one if it's biggest triggers is stress. The stress of a year long pandemic, feeling "invisible" and isolated may trigger thoughts like, "What is the difference between going out or staying in? I wouldn't be noticed anyway." Now might be a good time to ask yourself, is this more than "the blues"?

Over 3 million new cases of Dysthymia are diagnosed every year, currently called Persistent Depressive Disorder, and that number is likely to have tripled as a result of the persistent stress of the pandemic. Women are 3 times more likely to get it than men, African-Americans more than Caucasians and many, many older people suffer from Dysthymia. The condition is often undiagnosed because people can function in their normal lives without getting treatment. In what is now a post-pandemic world, the movement out of an emotional quarantine is bound to raise some difficulties. The best we all can do is to understand what might be happening, and get the help needed to find your inspiration again.