Sleeping Patterns And Depression
Depression can disrupt sleep patterns. Its essential to try to restore a regular sleep pattern to make a full recovery. Some tips for restoring a regular sleep pattern include:
- Try to go to sleep and get up at about the same time each day.
- If youre worrying about things during the night, set aside some time for problem solving during the day.
- Avoid drinking caffeine after 4 pm and try not to drink more than two cups of caffeine-type drinks each day.
- Avoid using alcohol to help you sleep. As the alcohol is broken down in your body, it causes you to sleep less deeply and to wake more frequently.
- Allow yourself time to wind down before going to bed. If you are working or studying, stop at least 30 minutes before bedtime and do something relaxing.
- Give your mind a break from online activity such as social media for an hour before bedtime, and consider putting your phone in a separate room from your bedroom at night time.
Create A Wellness Toolbox
A wellness toolbox is a set of tools that you can use to help soothe yourself when you are feeling down.
The tools you find most helpful might not work for someone else so it’s important to carefully consider what things can help you feel your best.
Think of things you like to do when you’re happy. Then, when you’re feeling down, try one of those activities.
Cuddling your pet, listening to your favorite music, taking a warm bath, or reading a good book are just a few tools you might find helpful.
Create a list of the activities you might try when you’re feeling bad. Then, choose an activity to try when you’re having a particularly rough time.
Distinguish Between What You Feel And What Is Real
Feeling depressed often means feeling hopeless and helpless. Its critical to understand that these views are symptoms of the illness and do not reflect reality. In other words, its the depression talking, not an objective picture of your situation. Remind yourself that the bleak outcomes you foresee for yourself are due to your mood clouding your judgment. Think back to a time when you were grounded and optimistic about your future, and tell yourself that what you thought then about your life was more accurate, because now your mood is blurring your vision.
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Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Also known as SSRIs, these typically have fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants. Fluoxetine , sertraline , and escitalopram all fit into this category.
Depression is linked to low levels of serotonin . SSRIs work by preventing your blood from absorbing some of the serotonin from your brain. This leaves a higher level of serotonin in the brain, and increased serotonin can help relieve depression.
Who Can Treat Depression
Some people receive depression treatment from their primary doctor/nurse. Mental health providers, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, also treat depression. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have the same medical training as your doctor, but specialize in mental health. Psychologists are trained to use cognitive behavioral therapies to help people with their depression symptoms. Social workers are trained to help people coordinate their medical care and manage stressful situations, as well as to assist them with other challenges such as finances or housing.
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Focus On Making Gradual Progress
Depression can and does improve, but its not an overnight process. Even with active treatment, it may take several weeks or months before you consistently feel better.
While youre recovering, focus on making gradual improvements. Expect your mood to improve slowly, not instantly, and set realistic goals so you can track your progress as youre getting better.
While youre recovering, try to avoid making major decisions. Instead, focus on changing your thought patterns and getting a little bit better every day.
Over the long term, even the smallest milestones can add up to huge improvements in your thoughts and moods.
Meet Yourself Where You Are
Depression is common. It affects millions of people, including some in your life. You may not realize they face similar challenges, emotions, and obstacles.
Every day with this disorder is different. Its important to take your mental health seriously and accept that where you are right now isnt where youll always be.
The key to self-treatment for depression is to be open, accepting, and loving toward yourself and what youre going through.
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How To Fight Depression Without Medication
Verywell / Bailey Mariner
For many people living with depression, prescription medications can be life-saving drugs. Antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac and Zoloft , are the most widely prescribed medication for depression, and while they are often effective, they can have side effects and be expensive depending on your health insurance coverage.
There are many ways to counter some of the symptoms of depression that don’t involve prescription medications. If you have depression, you might like to try managing it naturally without medication or supplement your antidepressant with other options. If so, check out these natural alternatives and then talk to your doctor about which might make sense as part of your treatment regimen.
This article discusses some natural treatments that may help fight depression including lifestyle changes and supplements. It also covers other strategies you might try such as practicing mindfulness or enhancing your home environment.
The More You Try To Stop Them
Numerousscientific studies have shown that trying too hard to “not” think about something may actually cause you to think about it more. That’s because when you focus on avoiding a thought, youre reminding your brain that the thought exists at all, rather than simply forgetting about it and moving on. It’s a strange way that the brain works, making it very hard for someone that wants to end their obsessive thoughts to actually take control.
This represents a serious problem for those that deal with obsessive thoughts from OCD. If they experience too much shame or fear over these thoughts they’ll try not to have them and this will cause them to have the thoughts even more, leaving them trapped in a vicious cycle.
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Ketamine Therapy Quickly Reduces Depression And Suicidal Thoughts
Ketamine therapy has a swift short-term effect on reducing symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts, according to a review of all the available evidence.
A systematic review led by the University of Exeter and funded by the Medical Research Council analyzed evidence from 83 published research papers. The strongest evidence emerged around the use of ketamine to treat both major depression and bipolar depression. Symptoms were reduced as swiftly as one to four hours after a single treatment, and lasted up to two weeks. Some evidence suggested that repeated treatment may prolong the effects, however more high-quality research is needed to determine by how long
Similarly, single or multiple doses of ketamine resulted in moderate to large reductions in suicidal thoughts. This improvement was seen as early as four hours following ketamine treatment and lasted on average three days, and up to a week.
For other psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders, there is early evidence to suggest the potential benefit of ketamine treatment. Moreover, for individuals with substance use disorders, ketamine treatment led to short-term reductions in craving, consumption, and withdrawal symptoms.
Tend To Your Social Life
When you’re depressed, there’s no reason to go it alone, and there are all sorts of reasons to reach out to friends and family. Make plans with loved ones and keep those dates. Join a club or sign up for a group activity such as a local dodgeball league or a French class.
Other things you might try:
- Join a support group. Talking to other people who are going through similar experiences and challenges can be informative and helpful.
- Schedule activities. Having routines can be helpful when you are going through depression. Create a daily schedule that includes spending time with others. You are more likely to stick to it if it’s a scheduled event.
- Volunteer.Joining a cause that you care about is a great way to meet new people and expand your social circle.
The problem is that depression often causes people to withdraw, which only further exacerbates feelings of isolation and loneliness. Even when you don’t feel like going out or being social, try reaching out in whatever way is most comfortable for you. Enlist a few of your closest loved ones who understand what you are experiencing.
Doing the things you used to do might not bring you quite the same enjoyment when you are depressed, but getting out of the house and spending time with people who care about you can help you feel better.
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Seeking Help For Depression
Get help if you’re still feeling down or depressed after a couple of weeks.
Treatments for depression include psychological therapies and antidepressants.
You can refer yourself for psychological therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy or counselling on the NHS. You don’t need a referral from your GP.
You can talk it through with your GP first if you prefer. Your GP can also tell you about antidepressants.
If you start to feel that your life isn’t worth living or about harming yourself, get help straight away.
You can:
- contact Samaritans on 116 123 for 24-hour confidential, non-judgemental emotional support
Positive Thoughts May Help Treat Depression
ByRemy Melinapublished 4 August 11
Gratitude and optimism may be a key to managing depression, a new review of relevant research finds.
Called positive activity interventions , the treatment involves intentional positive behaviors and thoughts, such as performing acts of kindness, expressing gratitude, meditating on positive feelings toward others and using one’s signature strengths.
“Although positive psychology is still a developing field, the relatively small but growing number of studies on PAIs are beginning to identify important mechanisms underlying the benefits of such interventions,” the authors write in a recent issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Of course, PAIs isn’t for everyone, and may only serve as a supplement to drug therapy for others.
One of the study authors, P. Murali Doraiswamy of Duke University, has received research grants and served as a paid speaker/advisor for several pharmaceutical companies, advocacy groups, and government agencies. He also owns stock in DailyFeats, a company focusing on social wellness.
Is your glass half-full?
Researchers from the University of California, Riverside and Duke University in Durham, N.C., analyzed results from various studies on PAIs, including randomized, controlled studies that had promising initial findings when patients with mild clinical depression practiced PAIs.
The upside of optimism
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Practice These Coping Skills Every Day
I recommend doing many if not all of the following coping skills and techniques once a day when experiencing depression. Its important to know you probably wont be motivated to do any of them at first because depression frequently saps motivation. In other words, know that its normal to feel unmotivated until youre halfway done.
The patients I work with who frequently practice these coping skills get better.The seven techniques can be memorized with the acronym MY PEERS.
1. Meaning: Find small ways to be of service to others.
Find personal meaning by serving something larger than yourself. Remember service doesnt have to be big to count. Consider this, Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued it must ensue as the unintended side effect of ones personal dedication to a course greater than oneself. Viktor E. Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning
2. Your goals: Find workable goals that give you a sense of accomplishment.
Most people feel guilty when talking about goals because they set unreasonable or unworkable goals. A goal is workable if its:
If something goes wrong with your goal, adopt a what can I learn from this? attitude . Also, be careful when comparing your progress with others. We usually compare our biggest weakness with another persons biggest strength. This is unfair .
3. Pleasant Events: Schedule pleasant activities or events.
4. Engagement: Stay in the present.
Take Stock Of Your Emotions To Thrive
Rarely do our feelings hang neatly on fancy, perfectly spaced hangers. Instead like our closets we often hold a jumble of both new and outdated emotions.
But you can organize your feelings and deal with or discard ones that arent serving you, a la Marie Kondo. Sift through your emotions regularly to slay anxiety, stress, or frustration.
Heres how to optimize your feelings to start winning at life.
If we dont take stock of our emotions or why were feeling them, theyll likely continue to stuff our minds even when theyre not necessary. That could have negative consequences for our success, health, and relationships.
If youve ever ran a red light while thinking about that fight you had with your significant other, youre not alone. Studies show that our emotions can affect our logic and our ability to perform tasks.
When were anxious or stressed, were also more likely to self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, or junk food. These all can have negative outcomes when the numbing effects wear off.
Plus, studies show that the more emotionally intelligent we are, the better our romantic relationships will be and that can likely be said for friendships and connections with family, too.
And we know how important that inner circle or support network is to our well-being.
Organizing your feelings involves a light version of cognitive behavioral therapy that you can do on your own or with the help of a therapist. It can really help you grow as a person.
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Ways To Help Yourself Through Depression
If you are going through depression, it’s best to get help from a therapist. To get the most from your therapy, you can do things to help yourself, too.
Here are five things you can do to feel better. They may seem simple, but they can help a lot.
When Youre Depressed You Cant Just Will Yourself To Snap Out Of It But This Guide To Depression Help Can Put You On The Road To Recovery
Coronavirus update
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many of us are dealing with social distancing, isolation, and lockdowns that make it even harder to cope with symptoms of depression. Whatever your circumstances, though, there are ways to overcome feelings of sadness and despair, improve your mood, and regain a sense of hope. In addition to the tips in this article, you can also find help for depression in our Coronavirus Mental Health Toolkit.
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Bullet Journal Styles And Trends
Bullet journaling is all about self-expression. You can use calligraphy and stencils, add sketches and doodles, even decorate with stickers and stamps or, you can keep it simple with clean lines and bold, colorful lettering.
While every bullet journal and the person who created it is unique, journalers tend to fall into similar stylistic categories. These include:
- Minimal. A
Nothing Feels Fun Or Fulfilling Anymore
One of the most common symptoms of depression is a loss of interest in hobbies, activities and other things you once found fun and fulfilling.
If you have a depressive disorder, you may find that you no longer feel interested in doing things that you used to enjoy.
And when you do spend time on your hobbies and interests, it may no longer feel pleasurable like it did before.
This loss of pleasure can affect your behavior and cause you to isolate and avoid spending time on the things that give your life meaning.
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How Can I Get Emotional Support
Remember that however you feel there are people who will listen and who want to help.
Let family or friends know what you are going through. They may be able to offer support and help keep you safe. They may not be able to make you feel better straight away. But tell them how you feel. They may help you see your situation in a different way or think of other options.
If you cant talk to family or friends, you may be able to get emotional support from other places. You could talk to:
- someone from an emotional support line,
- therapist or counsellor
- teacher, tutor or colleague
- religious or spiritual leader
There is a list of emotional support lines in the ‘Useful Contacts’ section at the bottom of this page.