 A key component of depression is feeling significantly sad and down. As such, if you've been smiling often, other people may not have suspected that you may be struggling with depression. And you may not have realized it either. Even if you have been smiling and acting cheerful, have you also been feeling exhausted, perhaps from keeping up appearances or from avoiding your more difficult emotions? It's important to be honest with yourself and assess whether or not you may be battling depression so that you can address it sooner and seek proper help. Here are five signs you're smiling through the pain. Number one, destructive perfectionism. Some people make the mistake of assuming that because a person appears put together, they are not struggling on the inside. Have you been dressing and grooming yourself to perfection? Have you been pushing yourself hard at work, school, or at home so that everything is pristine and flawless? Or perhaps in order to keep yourself successful and accomplished at what you do? Are you doing so to the point of being strung out and worn out from feeling unable to allow mistakes? It's important to consider the possibility that you're doing so to seem to others that you are on top of your game. You may not want them to see how you really feel on the inside. It's also worth considering whether you yourself do not want to accept that you are struggling and may be in need of help. While it may be a bitter pill to swallow, it's important to remember that this bit of vulnerability is an act of true courage that is necessary to overcome for you to start healing and feeling better. Number two, belittling your own hardships in comparison to others. I'm fine, I don't have it as bad as others. Have you ever thought this way? You might have convinced yourself that you are not depressed by constantly telling yourself that others have it worse than you in life. And because you're better off, you can't or shouldn't be depressed. It is understandable to develop such a mindset, as you may have even been told this by other people in your life. However, to continue to do so would be to invalidate your own feelings and personal experience. Personal pain is pain. And people from different walks of life can fall into a depression for different reasons. No matter what background you're from, depression is a very real and painful experience. Number three, guilt. Comparing yourself to others goes hand in hand with the guilt you may feel from being sad. You may feel guilty that you can't bring yourself to feel happy or content, even though it seems to you like you don't have much to complain about. You may also feel guilt from worrying about placing burdens on others. You may have noticed that the depression you've been experiencing has affected those around you. Or you're worried that others will be burdened with the task of having to take care of you, especially if you're used to taking care of others instead. You might even feel like you're the one to blame for feeling depressed, and thus shame yourself further into hiding it. Number four, toxic people around you. People are often not the best judge of themselves, and it's hard to think very clearly when depressed. While it may be difficult for you to determine if you might be struggling with depression, it might be simpler for you to assess whether you are or have been around people who were toxic to you, or constantly hurt you. Maybe your family didn't handle conflict well. Maybe they handled issues with anger, or were generally not a safe space for you. Perhaps you're with a partner now who is emotionally unsafe to you, or possesses narcissistic traits. Your environment may be a sign that your mental health is suffering. Number five, running from negative feelings. You may not notice how far you've fallen into depression if you've been running away from your negative feelings. You might feel the need to keep a tight grasp on control, and expand a lot of energy worrying that something may disrupt it. You may be suppressing your feelings in order to cope with the needs of the present. Doing so to a certain extent can help you get through the day. Locking painful feelings away too rigidly can lead you to dismiss the effect that your difficult experiences have caused you in the past, and in effect dismiss and invalidate your own feelings. If you continue to do so without giving yourself a safe space to deal with your pain and process your emotions, you may allow your depressive feelings to grow. According to the DSM-5, to be diagnosed with depression, these symptoms must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in your social life, work or school, or other important aspects of life. Symptoms can vary in severity and frequency, depending on the individual. You may experience most of these signs, or perhaps only a few. For these reasons, it's important to reach out to a professional for a complete diagnosis. If you or anyone you know could be struggling with depression, please don't hesitate to reach out to a qualified mental health care provider.