Depression and How To Overcome It

Depression is a subject that is still quite taboo and sufferers can find that they end up with a stigma attached to them. The reality is that depression is quite common and there’s no shame in admitting you feel so low. I will even hold my own hands up and say that I have suffered from it in the past. If you’re suffering from depression you can make a huge dent in it with simple lifestyle changes such as exercising every day, avoiding the urge to isolate yourself, challenging the negative voices in your head, eating healthy food instead of the junk you crave, and carving out time for rest and relaxation. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there if you make positive choices for yourself each day and draw on the support of others.

Recovering from depression requires action, but taking action when you’re depressed is hard. In fact, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like going for a walk or spending time with friends, can be exhausting.

It’s the Catch 22 of depression recovery. The things that help the most are the things that are most difficult to do. But there’s a difference between difficult and impossible.

So, here are my top tips to help you deal with depression...

Cultivate supportive relationships. Getting the support you need plays a big role in lifting the fog of depression and keeping it away. On your own it can be difficult to maintain perspective and sustain the effort required to beat depression. But the very nature of depression makes it difficult to reach out for help. However, isolation and loneliness make depression even worse, so maintaining your close relationships and social activities are important. The thought of reaching out to even close family members and friends can seem overwhelming. You may feel ashamed, too exhausted to talk, or guilty for neglecting the relationship. Remind yourself that this is the depression talking. Your loved ones care about you and want to help. Share what you’re going through with the people you love and trust. Ask for the help and support you need.

Challenge negative thinking. Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself, the situations you encounter, and your expectations for the future. You can’t break out of this pessimistic mind frame by “just thinking positively”. The trick is to replace negative thoughts with more balanced thoughts. Ask yourself if you’d say what you’re thinking about yourself to someone else. If not, stop being so hard on yourself. Think about less harsh statements that offer more realistic descriptions. Allow yourself to be less than perfect. Many depressed people are perfectionists, holding themselves to impossibly high standards and then beating themselves up when they fail to meet them. Battle this source of self imposed stress by challenging your negative ways of thinking. Keeping a negative thought diary can also be useful. Whenever you experience a negative thought, jot it down and what triggered it in a notebook. Review your diary when you’re in a good mood. Consider if the negativity was truly warranted. Ask yourself if there’s another way to view the situation. For example, let’s say your boyfriend was short with you and you automatically assumed that the relationship was in trouble. Maybe he’s just having a bad day.

Take care of yourself. In order to overcome depression, you have to take care of yourself. This includes following a healthy lifestyle, learning to manage stress, setting limits on what you're able to do, adopting healthy habits, and scheduling fun into your day. Getting 8 hours of sleep per night, indulging in long hot baths, and going for a stroll in the sunshine are all positive things to do.

Getting regular exercise. When you're depressed, exercising may be the last thing you feel like doing. But exercise is a powerful tool for dealing with depression. In fact, studies show that regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medication at increasing energy levels and decreasing feelings of fatigue. 30 minutes of exercise per day will do it but you can start small. 10 minute bursts of activity can have a positive effect on your mood.

Eat healthily. What you eat has a direct impact on the way you feel. Aim for a balanced diet of protein, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Don't skip meals as going too long without food can make you feel irritable and tired. Substitute junk food for healthy choices. For example, your daily chocolate bar could be replaced with an apple.

Know when to get professional help. If you find your depression getting worse and worse, seek professional help. Needing additional support doesn't mean you're weak. Sometimes the negative thinking in depression can make you feel like you're a lost cause, but depression can be treated and you can feel better. Don't forget about these tips though. Even if you're receiving professional help from a counsellor, these tips can be part of your treatment plan, speeding your recovery and preventing the depression from returning.

The tips above are what I would suggest to a client suffering with depression and I would assist that client in setting those tips as goals and then going on to achieve them.

One of the most important things to remember above everything else is that depression is treatable, you can overcome it, and there is no shame at all in admitting that you are feeling that way. The more people talk openly about depression, the less stigma and taboo there will be attached to it.