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Eight Ways to Actively Fight Depression
Recognize Your Critical Self Attacks
Depression is often accompanied by a critical, self-destructive mentality that interferes with and distracts us from our daily lives.
Ask yourself, would you think such cruel thoughts about a friend or family member who was experiencing the same struggles.
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Don't Isolate Yourself
When depressed, you may hear thoughts telling you to be alone, keep quiet and not to bother people with your problems. Do not listen to them.
Confiding in a friend to lighten your burden can begin a process of ending your unhappiness. Even the simple act of putting yourself in a social atmosphere can lift your spirits.
Do Things You Once Liked to Do
The times you feel most like slumping on the couch are the moments you should force yourself to take a walk, cook a meal, or call a friend.
If you've ever been depressed before, do whatever it was that helped you feel better before. Act against the critical inner voice that tells you nothing will help.
Watch a Funny TV Show or Movie
Anything that makes you laugh or smile can actually help convince your brain you are happy.
Play your favorite sitcom, watch a funny movie or read a comical writer. Don't think of this exercise as merely a distraction, but as an effective tool in reminding your brain that you can feel good again.
Don't Punish Yourself
Your critical thoughts toward yourself will try to keep you down in any way they can, including by attacking you for feeling down.
It's important to take your side and have compassion for yourself at those difficult times. You can be curious, open, accepting, and loving toward yourself, a much more appropriate attitude.
See a Therapist
Talking is a powerful way of combating your depression.
There is nothing shameful about recognizing you have a problem you alone cannot seem to resolve and to seek the help of a therapist.
Think About Your Anger
Many people who suffer from depression are actually masking a feeling of anger, turning their rage toward someone else on themselves.
By acknowledging and accepting or discussing your angry feelings, you are much less likely to turn these feelings against yourself or allow them to lead you into a depressed state.
Be Active
It's a physiological fact that activity fights depression.
Get your heart rate up 20 minutes a day, five days a week, and it has been scientifically proven that you will feel better emotionally.
Even just getting out of the house for a walk, a game of catch with your kids, or a trip to the gym is a medically proven method of improving the way you feel.
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Reach out and stay connected
You may feel too exhausted to talk, ashamed at your situation, or guilty for neglecting certain relationships. But this is just the depression talking.
Staying connected to ot...
How to reach out for support
- Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for. They just need to be a good listener.
- Make face-time a priority. Talking to someone face to face about how you feel can play a big role in relieving depression.
- Try to keep up with social activities even if you don’t feel like it.
- Find ways to support others.
- Caring for a pet can get you outside of yourself and give you a sense of being needed.
- Join a support group for depression.
Do things that make you feel good
Do things that relax and energize you. This includes following a healthy lifestyle, learning how to better manage stress, setting limits on what you’re able to do, and scheduling fun activities into your day.
Even if your depression doesn’t lift immediately, you’ll gradually feel more upbeat and energetic as you make time for fun activities.
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How to know if you're depressed
Depression symptoms can vary, but it always results in living in a negative state.
Common signs include:- Feeling hopeless or a lack of energy and interest in things that ...
Ways to deal with depression
Understand the common triggers. Once you understand which one is behind your depression, you can better learn how to cope with depression.
Feelings of loss, “less than” and “never going to happen” are the major reasons that most people dip into depression. Loss can result from a loved one dying or losing a job; feelings of “less than” can be triggered by comparing yourself to others you view as having more than you and “never” occurs when you start believing that your goals and dreams are completely out of reach.
Address your limiting beliefs
Many of those trying to find ways to deal with depression have formed limiting beliefs that negatively affect how they think.
If you come from a family who has never had a member attend college, you might believe that you are not smart enough to achieve your goals. Another common limiting belief is that they are supposed to be sad because depression or anxiety runs in their family.
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Depression and medication
Doctors for long treated depression as something inside your brain, which can be treated with meds, with no outside influence.
Certain exceptions (like losing a loved one and this leadi...
Isolated diagnosis
To treat someone who seemingly has depression, while isolating this from any other situation, event or circumstance that might have triggered it is a flawed way to diagnose a potential mental illness.
The root cause of the problem of depression is not addressed in this way.
Happy pills
Antidepressant prescription and eventually their doses have doubled over the past decade, yet depression and anxiety are spiraling out of control.
The real cause of depression does not seem to be completely inside our heads, and pill-popping is just a stop-gap measure, which may even be harmful.
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