The Gentle Lighthouse

The Storm You Shrug Off: Understanding Situational Depression

A woman stands beneath a clear umbrella in soft rain, her gaze lifted toward the sky as raindrops blur the city behind her.
Photo by Khoa Võ on Pexels.com

“Even short storms can flood the heart. What matters isn’t how long they last but whether you notice the rain.” — Julius Chan

When the Blues Aren’t Forever

Sometimes, depression isn’t a lifelong shadow, instead it’s a passing storm. It brews after major change, loss, or exhaustion, then slowly fades once life stabilizes again. Clinically, this is known as Situational Depression or Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood (American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5).

It happens when life throws something too heavy, too sudden like a breakup, job loss, burnout, grief, or even good changes like relocation or retirement. The body and mind simply can’t keep up. And while it often passes, it leaves invisible dents if ignored.

A 2022 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that people who experienced short-term depressive episodes post-stress were three times more likely to develop major depression later if they didn’t address the root causes (Zhang et al., 2022).

So, the storm you shrug off today may be the seed of a future hurricane.

Signs You Might Be in the Storm

Situational depression can mimic burnout or sadness, but the intensity and duration differ.
Look out for these signs lasting more than two weeks after a major event:

  • Persistent sadness, anxiety, or hopelessness
  • Loss of interest in daily activities
  • Withdrawal from family or friends
  • Difficulty concentrating or sleeping
  • Physical exhaustion or body heaviness
  • Thoughts like “I just need to get over it”

The tricky part? People often dismiss it as “a bad week” or “just stress.” But minimizing pain doesn’t make it smaller, it just hides longer.

Why We Dismiss Situational Depression

Because it’s temporary, we treat it like emotional weather.
We tell ourselves:
“I’m just tired.”
“Others have it worse.”
“It’ll pass.”

But when you constantly suppress emotion, you train your nervous system to numb, not heal.
Research from Harvard Health (2021) notes that avoidance of emotional distress can delay recovery and increase physiological stress responses, leading to sleep disruption, immune suppression, and chronic anxiety.

In short, feeling nothing can sometimes hurt more than feeling too much.

Healing the “Temporary” Kind Before It Grows

Unlike chronic depression, situational depression responds well to early awareness, gentle structure, and supportive intervention.
Here are steps that help:

  • Acknowledge the Storm

Say it aloud or write it down: “I’m struggling.”
Naming your experience reduces its power (Lieberman et al., UCLA NeuroImage Study, 2007).

  • Rebuild Routine, Not Perfection

Small, stabilizing actions like consistent wake times, meals, or short walks re-anchor your circadian rhythm; something grief and stress often derail.

  • Seek Connection

Isolation amplifies depression (Cacioppo et al., PLOS ONE, 2017).
Reach out to the people around you. Even one conversation a day helps restore oxytocin and emotional grounding.

  • Let Your Feelings Flow

Crying, journaling, or talking are not signs of weakness, they’re the nervous system’s way of discharging stress energy. Suppressed emotion has to go somewhere; it’s healthier if it flows through you, not into you.

  • Ask for Professional Support

If sadness lingers beyond a month or interferes with work or relationships, therapy helps.
Adjustment disorders are among the most treatable forms of depression when addressed early (Mayo Clinic, 2024).

A Quiet Reminder

Not every low mood is a life sentence.
But every moment of unacknowledged pain deserves care.
Situational depression isn’t about weakness. It’s the mind’s shock absorber saying: “Something shook me too hard.”

The healing begins the moment you take that storm seriously.

Let’s Keep This Light Moving

💬 Reflect, Share, and Stay Connected
If this post resonated, drop a comment or share it with someone who might need to hear: “It’s okay to not bounce back instantly.”
Every share widens the circle of understanding and that’s how awareness grows.

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If you’d like to keep the light shining (and my coffee machine humming), consider a small donation.
Think of it as therapy for the internet: you heal a little, I write a little, and together we make mental health conversations a little louder.

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Upcoming Blog

“The Care Economy — Why Support Systems Are Key in Depression Recovery”

In this upcoming post, we’ll explore how empathy, community, and workplace support systems form the backbone of emotional recovery. From corporate wellness to family care networks, “The Care Economy” reveals why no one truly heals alone—and how building compassionate structures can change the future of mental health.

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2 responses to “The Storm You Shrug Off: Understanding Situational Depression”

  1. Herald Staff Avatar
    Herald Staff

    This is an interesting one for me, Julius. If nothing else, we can only control what we can control, and often, life comes as us fast!

    I’ve known someone for a long time that would call me from time to time and tell me how depressed he was. He thought there was something wrong with him, and couldn’t understand why he was struggling so badly. When I would tally it all up, he was going through a divorce, his career/employment was non-existent (and money struggles were a pressing issue), his family had endured the loss of a beloved family member, and on and on. Frankly, I would be more alarmed if he wasn’t depressed, all things considered.

    But that’s the trick, that I hadn’t thought about until reading this article. Life events can come on us drip by drip, and maybe we lose perspective (at least in this case). It seemed clear to me why he would depressed, but he was lost, couldn’t see it even though it was his own life. Easier said than done, but he needed to identify where he was with everything, but he just sat in it, confused. Eventually, he was able to eliminate the stressors and move on.

    Sorry for the ramble, but when I read this, that’s an incident that came to mind. I hope you’re doing well, Julius!

    –Scott

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    1. Julius Chan Avatar
      Julius Chan

      That’s such a thoughtful reflection, Scott. And honestly, not a ramble at all. It’s a perfect illustration of what situational depression often looks like in real life.

      You’re right; when life hits us “drip by drip,” we sometimes don’t notice how deep the water’s gotten until we’re already struggling to stay afloat. What stood out in your story is how your friend’s reaction was, in fact, humanly appropriate given all he was facing. As you said, it would almost be more concerning if he wasn’t feeling the weight of it all.

      Situational depression is sneaky that way; it doesn’t announce itself dramatically. It just slowly builds as losses and pressures stack up. Real healing often commences when an individual, such as yourself, assists in re-examining the larger picture and establishing connections between seemingly invisible elements within the storm.

      I’m overjoyed to hear he eventually managed to move through it; that’s hope in motion right there. And thank you for sharing this. It’s reminders like these that make these conversations matter.

      I’m doing well, my friend. I hope you are too, and as always, your insights add a grounding perspective that I deeply appreciate.
      — Julius

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