Coping with Depression

Depression can be debilitating, but by learning how to cope with it you can lead a happy, healthy and normal life. There are a lot of things you can learn that will help you manage depression, keep it at a minimum or deal with it when it becomes severe. Not all techniques will work for all people, and often it won't be enough just to try one technique, try as many as you can and don't give up on a technique if it doesn't seem to be working at first - sometimes it takes a while before you realise the effect the technique is having. The important thing is to keep trying.

Tips, Tricks and Strategies

Exercise

Exercising serves multiple purposes ... firstly it's a great way to get out pent up energy and relieve stress! both of which will help decrease depression. Secondly, it helps you keep fit and stay in shape which will increase your self-esteem and confidence. It is important to find an exercise that you will actually enjoy, if you don't enjoy doing it, you'll end up not doing it. You could try: walking, running, hiking, biking, team sports, martial arts, dancing etc. You could join the gym, join a club, exercise alone or with a friend. Push yourself to do it, even if you don't feel like it at the time! By the time you are done 9 times out of 10 you will feel much better.

Spend time outside

There are chemicals in the suns rays that help the body to produce serotonin (a chemical that makes you feel happy) so if you're feeling depressed spending time outside can be very helpful. Go for a walk, do some gardening, sit in the sun and read a book. You don't have to spend whole days outside, 15-30 minutes a day is a good start, if you can spend longer ... great!

Eat well

A healthy diet can help a lot, you don't need to become a health food nut, but make sure you're eating some fresh fruit and veggies and try not to eat too much junk or processed food. The chemicals, preservatives and additives in junk and processed food can reduce your bodys ability to function, both physically and mentally and so can make you feel worse and inhibit your recovery.

De-stress

Stress can be a major contributing factor to depression, so learning to reduce your stress levels can be greatly beneficial. There are a lot of ways you can do this. Identify what things are worth stressing over and what things aren't, let go of the things that aren't worth it. Tackle problems constructively by identifying possible solutions ... enlist help if you need it. You can also try meditation and relaxation techniques to reduce stress levels, there is an abundance of information on different relaxation and meditation techniques on the internet.

Stay busy

Depression induced thoughts can be your worst enemy when battling depression. Keep them at bay by staying busy, when you have nothing to do your mind can become overactive, you can dwell and over think about your problems and they can seem a lot bigger than they really are.

Get things done

When the depression monster hits it can be hard to find the motivation to get basic chores done, try to push yourself to get them done, even just a little bit each day, completing chores will give you a feeling of accomplishment which can increase your mood, where as avoiding chores and letting things piles up will make you feel overwhelmed and increase feelings of depression.

Congratulate yourself

Give yourself a pat on the back for everything you accomplish or acheive, no matter how small a thing it may seem. When we are depressed we tend to focus more on the negatives, when you congratulate yourself it helps to counter the negatives and helps to reinforce positive thoughts.

Keep a journal, diary or thought log

When your mind is in turmoil, you have a maelstrom of thoughts bombarding your brain and you can't make sense of any of it, write it down. A journal, diary or thought log can help you sort out one thought from the next, and often when you write down what's going on in your head or what's bothering you, when you read it back afterwards there is often alot less than there seemed when it was all swirling about in your head. Writing things down can help break your problems into manageable, bite-sized chunks that you can tackle one by one, rather than being overwhelmed by all of your problems at once. Plus sometimes it helps just to get whats in your head out.

Talk

Talk about the things that are bothering you, whether it be over coffee with a friend, online in a chatroom or forum, or on the phone with someone. Whether they can do anything to help or not, talk about it. There's no reason you have to shoulder all your burdens alone.

Be good to yourself

Take time to pamper yourself, do something you enjoy, give yourself a treat, buy yourself something nice.

Keep in touch

Call, text, email or visit friends. It will help decrease your feelings of loneliness, make you feel better and your friends will enjoy it too ... even if you only want to rant ... that's what friends are for.

Go out and have fun

Because .. it's fun, whether you go out and have fun by yourself or with others. It might seem daunting at first but once you're actually out and having fun you'll be glad you went!

Laugh

Because nothing makes you feel better than a good hearty belly laugh! Get out a good comedy on DVD or watch funny video clips on you tube or read some jokes. Watching children or animals can be great comic relief too.

Indulge in a hobby

Hobbies are a great way to relax and unwind, they give you a way to pass time in an enjoyable way and you can get a great sense of achievement and accomplishment from them. If you don't already have a hobby, start one, there are so many to choose from!

Pay attention to others

Depression often causes you to turn inwards and focus on your own self, your own thoughts and needs and problems, this is partly what makes people suffering from depression feel so isolated and alone, it isn't that you are isolated and alone, that's just where your focus has turned. Paying attention to other people helps you to turn your focus outside of yourself, thereby decreasing feelings of depression. It also helps you to feel like you're staying connected with the world and can help you stay in contact with friends and family.

Cry if you need to

Don't be afraid or ashamed of crying, it's a natural response to pain whether physical or emotional. Tears are there to give us an outlet and releif for that pain, so if you need to cry, then cry whether you only shed a few tears or cry a river, saturate your pillow and create a mountain of soggy tissues .. you'll feel better for it afterwards.

Learn

Depression can be a big dark scary thing, it can be a hard thing to battle against because it's not a physical thing you can see or touch, it's deep, dark, scary abstraction. It can help alot if you learn as much as you can about it. Find out what it is, what it does, how it does it, why it does it, when and where it does it. It's easy to be afraid of the dark unknown, harder to be afraid of something you can stick in a cardboard folder and slap a label on... if that makes sense. Another way of looking at it is, if you were going into battle you would learn what you could about your enemy, what kind of tactics they use, what their strengths ad weaknesses are ... depression is your enemy.

Seek help

Depression is a hard thing to deal with, especially if you are trying to do it alone, having a support network will make it easier to deal with. A support network is a network of people you can turn to for support, encouragement, help or advice, your support network can include friends, family, teachers, coaches, counsellors, therapists or anyone else you know that is willing to help. The more the better.

Things to remember

You are worth all this world has to give you and you shouldn't have to settle for less or think you aren't worthy of more. You ARE!!!