When a depressed mood isn't a bad thing.
Unpopular opinions: Stress isn’t always a bad thing, and feeling depressed *for short periods of time (1-2 days)* can be beneficial for mental health. 🫢
If you are in the U.S., you know that most people get together for the SuperBowl, and it’s typically a high-energy social event.
So, how are you feeling today?
Although some people may have a larger “social battery”, many feel fatigued, craving isolation and a cozy bed, and may even feel overwhelmed or sad today (and I’m not just talking about the 49ers fans). But why? And… is this slump a bad thing or a necessary restorative period?
When we think of “stress,” it’s usually regarding negative experiences. But the reality is that even fun, exciting experiences act as physiological stressors to our bodies. That is not a bad thing—in fact, humans need to socialize and have fun. But these experiences do require a higher level of physiological activation than if we were lying around the house, grocery shopping, etc.
Regardless, our bodies must activate to meet the demands of the situation. In this case, the demands include socializing in an exciting atmosphere. So, our brains activate, stress systems activate (again, not necessarily “unhealthy” activation, but activation nonetheless). Then, when we have either left the situation OR our energy is depleted, the body needs to rest before it can return back to baseline.
The thing is, many people don’t realize that our bodies do not just “return to baseline.” They go below baseline.
When we are in recovery, there is usually a dip below our baseline—partly because brains do not have an endless amount of neurotransmitters at the ready at all times, and partly because the body has been on such a high and *needs* to go in the other direction to restore itself adequately.
But even though you don’t have an endless supply, the brain does think ahead to tomorrow and taper off if it thinks you require those neurotransmitters in the moment. In other words, our brains have evolved to respond to activation in sprints, not marathons.
So, while socializing, your brain may be on a dopamine and adrenaline high from all that excitement, and then when it’s over or when you’ve expended all your brain has on hand…
WHAM! Dopamine crash, adrenaline crash.
We’ve used so much dopamine and adrenaline that the body needs time to produce its typical amount. We return to our baseline with some time and restorative activities, like sleep and rest from social activities.
Here’s the other piece of it: What you see as being in a depressed mood may actually be your body displaying “sickness behavior”.
Sickness behavior is enacted after physiological activation and is related to inflammatory processes. In an attempt to restore the body to homeostasis, the body changes brain chemistry to alter behavior in a way that will allow your body to rest and recover. Sickness behavior looks like a reduction in energy, motivation and an increased desire to be alone, sleep more, and basically be a couch potato. In these ways, sickness behavior closely resembles depression, as well as how you feel when you are ill (hence the name).
Although this is a major issue when it is chronic and interferes with day-to-day functioning (this would often be seen as having Major Depression), being in a depressed *mood* for short periods of time can be adaptive. It is a signal that your body is trying to force you to rest and restore your body to a balanced state.
So, what we see when we mentally crash after something exciting and fun is often the effects of the body regaining homeostasis—experiencing a depressed mood temporarily as a result of that process sucks in the moment, but is very normal, purposeful, and adaptive. That’s especially true for those of us who do love socializing but who find it mentally and physically draining.
Finally, thinking of emotions/moods as signals from our brains allows us to understand how experiencing a depressed mood can help us discover our needs. What do we need in this moment? What might we need to do to prepare for the next exciting social event? AND, understanding that our physiology contributes to emotions, like sadness, also allows us to question and disentangle when we are sad because something sad happened or when we just need a rest.
My perspective is informed by my experiences as a stress scientist and research health psychologist. I hope it helps to reframe some of your own stressed or depressed moods, particularly after exciting weekends.
👋 I'm Lydia Roos, health psychologist and Founder of EvolveWell Research Partners.
📌 EvolveWell offers consulting and research services for mental and physical health, wellness, and fitness companies. [evolvewellresearch.com]
📩 Get in touch via email or LinkedIn.