Depression is a mental disorder that is characterized by a constant sad mood, loss of interest in doing everyday activities, changes in sleep patterns, low self-esteem, lack of concentration, etc. All of which cause significant impairment in daily life. Depression isn’t a taboo, you shouldn’t be ashamed of it. If you observe any of these symptoms within yourselves make sure to consult a specialist. But there are certain steps you can take to heal depression and come out of this dark hole. Using any of the following techniques, won’t snap you out of this, you will have to take one step at a time and make sure not to lose hope.
Top 15 Ways To Deal With Depression
1. Look For Support From People
While suffering from depression, opening up to anyone could be difficult. Remember to have faith in yourself and try talking to people you feel safe with. That person could be anyone – your family member, your partner, your friend, or even your neighbour. Do not torture yourself to open up. Take your time and talk to anyone who makes you feel comfortable and safe. Sharing your pain with someone, by just having someone listening to you will give you the strength you need. This strength will be very essential to winning your battle against depression.
2. Care For A Pet
Depression can make you feel lonely, but with love, compassion, and comfort you can break that cycle. A pet can constantly remind you that you are not alone. Pets are said to offer us humans, unconditional love, that can soothe us. Pets can be beneficial in relieving stress, encouraging exercise and playfulness, improving our cardiovascular health, and much more.
During your tough days, you can comfort yourself by snuggling with your furry friend. Pets are connected with us; they understand our emotions just by looking at our gestures and by listening to the tone of our voice. And they will never judge us for what we feel and what we are. They will love us just the way we are and that feeling can bring us a lot of joy and warmth.
3. Keep In Touch
Keeping in touch with people who makes you happy can be really helpful. Try to maintain contact with your family, school friends, childhood buddies, etc. Take advantage of technological advancement, and track back the people with whom you have lost contact. Use social media platforms, face time with your family, or at least call them. Reciting those fun old days with your friends and family will help you smile, it will make you realize that life can be fun and you can be happy. It will help you reconnect with your roots, and you will be able to find yourself back.
4. Join Support Groups
Support groups are completely different from therapy groups. Support groups are generally led by victims of a particular problem. Talking to people who are suffering through similar problems, listening to their struggles, and hearing out their glory days can really benefit people. It will not just provide them with strength but also make them realize that it’s not just them. There are thousands of people who are suffering the same pain, fighting the same battles; this realization will help people accept the issue they are suffering.
5. Exercise Daily
Exercising daily will not only help us physically but also emotionally. While suffering from depression, exercising would be the last thing you want to do. But believe me, once you start exercising daily, you will observe positive changes within yourself in no time. When we exercise, our body releases the feel-good chemicals, also known by the name endorphins. It also improves brain function, which ultimately results in relieving your depression. It not only makes our mood better but also improves nerve cell formation. You don’t have to start by hardcore exercise; you can even start by just taking a walk.
6. Improve Your Sleep Pattern
Dealing with depression can result in an extremely disturbed sleep pattern. Try your best not to promote this disruption, and maintain sleep hygiene. Set a fixed sleep schedule; sleep for at least 8 hours a day. Do not keep your bedroom dark, avoid having distractions like television or computer in your bedroom, and avoid simply lying on the bed during the day. These tips will surely help you maintain a healthy sleep cycle that will not only keep your blood pressure and heart rate on point but also enhance your memory, learning skills, and emotional health.
7. Avoid Procrastination
Procrastination is a common habit when you are going through depression. But procrastination will only add up to your already existing problems. That doesn’t mean that you need to follow a hectic schedule. All you have to do is complete one thing at a time. Don’t avoid your work; working can be tough these days. But you need to try and try till you succeed, getting done with your work, and your household chores can make you feel less bad than you already do. Keep yourself busy so that you won’t pay much attention to negative thoughts.
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8. Improve Eating Habits
Irregular eating can also be a concerning issue for depression patients. Things like counselling and medical treatment will, of course, help you relieve your symptoms, but lifestyle remedies like maintaining a balanced diet will help you boost you’re well being. Intake of vitamin-B 12 serum is said to be associated with a better treatment outcome of depression and so food containing Omega-3 acids. Therefore, include food such as eggs, poultry, dairy products, tuna, salmons, breakfast cereals, caviar, flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans, etc. into your diet. Also, make sure to reduce the intake of sugar and refined carbs.
9. Meditate Daily
The goal of meditation isn’t to eliminate your stress or negative thoughts but to acknowledge them and realize you don’t necessarily have to act on them. Meditation will make you ready to deal with stressful situations. Meditation won’t make your symptom disappear; it will make those symptoms more manageable. Depression involves a lot of dark thoughts. During such time, meditation can be a great way to intake positive thoughts in your mind.
10. Reward Yourself
Try making your daily routine more fun by setting attainable goals. Set attainable goals. If accomplished, reward yourself with tasty treats, movie dates, etc. The goal shouldn’t be something extra-ordinary. It can be something as simple as working out for 20 minutes or reading a book. This will not only motivate you to complete your task but also make your daily routine enjoyable. Do not try to cheat; reward yourself only when you complete the task.
11. Spend Time With Nature
Connecting with nature can also help you deal with depression more efficiently. Nature is said to heal everything, nature is where we come from, and nature will bring us back to our roots. This can help us find our lost self, find hope, find strength, find solutions, and rebuild ourselves. Spending time in nature can be anything. It can be either taking a stroll down the woods or it could be planting some new flowers in your backyard. Nature can benefit us in several ways such as improving your mood, being more active, improving confidence and self-esteem, helping make new connections, feeling more relaxed, improving your emotional state, etc.
12. Listen To Music
Research suggests that music is said to eliminate stress and negative thoughts. Hearing music filled with certain emotions can make feel the same. Hearing sad music makes you feel sad. Similarly, listening to soft and happy tones can help you feel positive and joyful. Additionally, music can also help you manage pain, make you sleep better, motivate you, and possibly reduce symptoms of depression. Listen to music that makes you happy. Avoid listening to something that could make your mood even worse. You can listen to anything songs, tones, ASMR sounds, birds chirping, your mother’s lullaby, any sound that might make you feel better.
13. Do Something You Enjoy
Add doing things into your routine that you enjoy or used to enjoy. That activity can be anything – playing an instrument, binge-watching Netflix, dancing, reading a book, etc. Try finding your lost talents or hobbies or you can even find new hobbies. Creative fields such as painting, dancing, music, etc can help you channel out your pain, stress, and worries. You can also enable the inward flow of positive thoughts through your creative talents.
14. Volunteer For Social Service Activities
Volunteer for social service activities such as clean-ups, tutoring the disabled, lending a helping hand to the old population, etc. Participating in such activities can really help you introduce a positive attitude to your life. You will experience an immense amount of joy when you will help society. You can interact and be around new people, which might help you feel less depressed. You will for sure feel nice when you are provided support by others, but providing support to others can get you an even bigger mood boost.
15. Get A Routine
Set your daily routine, and have your entire day planned out. A routine will not only get things done for you but will also make sure your mind is engaged in one thing or another the entire day. Keeping yourself and your mind ideal is not a great idea when you are going through depression. Having your day planned out will also motivate you to get yourself up and work.
Dealing with depression ain’t easy, but remember ‘No storm, not even one, can last forever, the storm is just passing over. Keep your hope alive and know that there will be light at the end of this tunnel.
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Great posts, most times I do get depressed, I really enjoyed your tips how how to deal with stress, thank you so much for sharing
Great posts, I really enjoyed the read, most times I do feel depressed, this posts will come in handy, thank you for sharing this helpful tips.
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