Understandably, when you or your loved ones go through depression, it becomes hard to muster that extra bit of energy to look after yourself. Taking an active role in your improvement and taking steps to help you cope with the battle of depression goes a long way in slaying depression. Here are a few things you can try along with the advice of the medical professionals.
● Practice caring for yourself
● Keep yourself active
● Look after the way you look
● Pose a challenge to your low mood
● Connect with people
Practice caring for yourself
Figure out what works for you. Make a list of activities, places and people that spark the feel good emotion in you. Make another list of your day-to-day activities. It is going to be difficult to include all the things that make you happy in the list, but find ways to incorporate the happy things, people and places in your day-to- day activities. For example, you might enjoy playing the guitar or watching a movie. Try to take some time out and ensure you play your guitar at least once a day.
Don’t shy away from treating yourself
This could mean taking long baths, spending quality time with your pet or your family. A lot of people write letters to themselves assuring themselves that the storm will pass and there will be brighter days. Feel good things like this will benefit you largely. Do not forget to be kind to yourself. If you need your “me time,” let nothing stop you from taking it.
Pose a challenge to your low mood
Maintaining a mood diary has proved to help in keeping track of your mood changes. You will sense a pattern you can work on and also tell your doctor about it. Don’t let your mood dictate the outcome of your day.
Keep yourself active
Go ahead and join a group. The group can be a sports team, a community project or even a hobby group. The important thing here is to keep yourself occupied with positivity so that you leave little room for your mood swings to happen.
If you think you are not excited by any of the old things you used to enjoy, take a leap of faith and try new things like starting a new hobby or volunteering. This will assist you in breaking unhelpful mood patterns and boosting your happy side.
Set goals for yourself
Make sure they are realistic though. Setting unrealistic goals will mean disappointment when they are not met. The last thing you need to harbour is a negative feeling.
Make a connection
Connect with people more than you used to. Keep in touch and keep talking. If you think meeting people in person is too difficult at this time, at least phone someone. Send people you like a text, an email and even a letter.
It might be hard to bring up a conversation about how you are truly feeling inside. It is proven that many people have found comfort in sharing their experiences. If you think your friend or family member will not understand, try them. If you’re still apprehensive, consider joining a peer support group. Being with people who face similar challenges and who are on the same journey of self-recovery will benefit you largely, especially from their experiences and learnings. You will find joy in knowing that your experiences have helped a fellow human being.
Look after yourself constantly
Try and get some good quality sleep. Yes, one of the side effects of depression is the lack of sleep. Making a conscious effort to get good quality sleep has shown drastic improvements in people battling depression.
Do not forget to eat well. A healthy and nutritious diet adds physical and mental strength which, in turn, helps in the recovery process by helping you think clearly, improve your mood and increase your energy. Along with eating well, it is essential to ensure your hygiene is dealt with. The little things like taking a shower before you leave or dressing up well can act as a huge catalyst in recovery and also in also keeping bad mood at bay! You may even find that wearing bright colours has a positive effect upon your state of mind.
Turn to a Coach or a Mentor
A great way to overcome depression is to look for alternative help, such as a coach or a mentor, they have the right tools to help you “fight” off depression. A lot of times it is easier to find an accountability coach in order to help you achieve those smaller goals in life. They help you find the balance within and make sure you are accountable with the life chooses you make. Talking to a coach or mentor that comes from the background of depression helps too, as it is easier to relate with someone that has gone through the same or similar forms of depression. When you are in the process of looking for a coach or mentor make sure they understand your background and they are truly able to help you, sometimes they have gone through something similar and it would make it easier for you to open up and really talk from the heart.