When someone is experiencing depression, their daily behaviors often shift dramatically as the condition affects energy, motivation, mood, and thinking. Common patterns include:

1. Withdrawal and isolation Most people pull away from friends, family, and social activities. They stop answering calls, cancel plans, or stay in their room for days. Even simple conversations feel exhausting.
2. Sleep changes Some sleep 12–16 hours a day (hypersomnia), using bed as an escape. Others battle insomnia, lying awake with racing negative thoughts, feeling worse from exhaustion.
3. Appetite and weight shifts Many lose interest in food, forgetting to eat or finding no pleasure in it, leading to unintentional weight loss. Others comfort-eat, especially sugary or fatty foods, gaining weight rapidly.
4. Loss of interest (anhedonia) Hobbies, music, exercise, sex, or work that once brought joy now feel pointless. People describe everything as “gray” or “numb.”
5. Low energy and slowed movements Basic tasks like showering, brushing teeth, or getting the mail feel monumental. Some move and speak more slowly; others feel restless but can’t channel the agitation.
6. Excessive rumination Hours are spent replaying past mistakes, imagining worst-case futures, or feeling overwhelming guilt/shame over small things.
7. Self-harm or suicidal thoughts Some engage in cutting, burning, or reckless behavior to “feel something.” Passive suicidal ideation (“I wish I didn’t wake up”) or active planning can occur.
8. Substance use Alcohol, cannabis, benzodiazepines, or harder drugs become temporary escapes, worsening the cycle long-term.
9. Fake normalcy Many hide symptoms at work or school, expending huge energy to appear “fine,” then collapsing when alone.
10. Crying spells or emotional flatness Sudden tearfulness over tiny triggers, or the opposite feeling nothing at all, even during major events.

These behaviors aren’t laziness or weakness; they’re symptoms of a medical illness affecting brain chemistry. If you recognize several of these in yourself or someone else for two weeks or more, seek professional help immediately therapy, medication, or both can dramatically improve quality of life. You’re not alone, and recovery is possible