DEALING WITH DEPRESSION
What is depression? Have you or any of your friends/family members ever been depressed? It will be hard for you to answer this question if you do not know exactly what it means to be depressed.
Depression is a persistent feeling of sadness, loss of interest, low self-esteem, mood disorder, or being overwhelmed. The feeling affects how you think or behave. Depression is caused by a variety of things, such as the inability of the brain to regulate moods, stressful life events, and medical conditions.
Fluctuation of emotional feelings may result in various psychological and physical problems that lead to one’s inability to function well either at work or at home. Depression is not a sign of weakness or laziness. People don’t choose to be depressed; it is more than being sad or going through difficult times. The effect of depression attacks you emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Depression affects both the young and the old according to psychiatry, and its prevalence is significantly high among females than males. The prevalence thus suggests that biological sex differences, culture, diet, education, and socio-economic activities can confound into the factors leading to depression.
The prevalence in women is more than twice than in men. Though, there is no clear evidence that this ratio is higher in countries where women have marked lower socio-economic status than men. The ratio tends to decrease with age. When someone is in depression, you can’t just willfully snap them out of it. One needs to make a decision and walk out of it.
Let’s delve into some ways that can help you walk the path to your recovery.
1). Need to Stay Connected
Staying connected calls for one to get a support system from friends and relatives in essential roles in their lives to help them get over what weighs them down. There is a tendency for one to isolate once they find themselves in such quagmire. Hence hard for them to achieve and sustain the efforts that they require to overcome depression on their own. They even find it difficult to connect to family and friends. Being close to your loved ones and engaging in fun activities brightens up your mood and outlook.
2). Always Reach Out
Reaching out is not a weakness; neither does it mean you are a bother. Reach out to someone who will listen to you unconditionally and compassionately without being judgmental. The people you reach out to don’t need to “Fix” you, they need to be good listeners. If you feel that you don’t have anyone you can turn to, build new relationships. Being around people will help you feel less depressed.
3). Do Things That You Enjoy
Doing things that you enjoy makes you feel relaxed and energized. They help you learn how to manage your stress. Have some time for fun activities. Make a list of things you can do and love doing for a quick mood boost. Listen to music, dance, take a walkout, swim, read books, bask in the sun. The more you do them, the better for you, and the faster you will recover. Even if you don’t have the moral, you will gradually feel more energized and active, and you will continue doing what you enjoy.
4). Do Regular Exercise
Exercising is a potent depression fighter. Regular exercise is just as effective as medication for relieving depression symptoms. To get the most benefit, put in at least 30–40 minutes per day for activity. You can break it down into four intervals per day. It doesn’t have to be in a compressed time.
Take an hour or two, for a walk in the park. It will help you improve your mood.
5) Healthy Diet
How you feel is equivalent to what you eat. Reduce intake of foods that have adverse effects on your brain function. Such foods may include caffeine, alcohol, Trans fat, and foods with high level of preservatives. Aim to eat something after every three to four hours. Don’t skip meals.
6) Think Positively
Depression tends to put a negative spin on everything you do and see, including yourself and your expectations. When you think deep into those negative thoughts, they don’t add up, but they can be things that are tough to give up on. Breaking out of such pessimistic thinking and adjusting yourself to think positively makes you have high self-esteem. And how do you do that? Here is the trick, always identify the negative thoughts that are weighing you down, and replace them with a more balanced and positive way of thinking and doing things. Do not over-think.
Conclusion
There is a big difference between something difficult to do and something impossible to do. The things that help you the most are the ones that are difficult to do. The path to recovery is not easy, but it’s possible.
It only needs you to have more control of yourself and see things from a hopeful perspective. There is always something you can do to get you out of stuck. Taking the first step is usually the hardest, but if you put these positive recovery steps into action, you will begin to see the bright side of life and soon get rid of the heavy load of depression off your shoulders. You will feel happier, healthier, and more hopeful again. Stay positive!
