Saturday, March 23, 2024

Stuff To Help With Depression

Finding The Best Depression Treatment For You

10 Things Only Depressed People Will Understand

When youre depressed, it can feel like youll never get out from under a dark shadow. However, even the most severe depression is treatable. So, if your depression is keeping you from living the life you want to, dont hesitate to seek help. From therapy to medication to healthy lifestyle changes, there are many different treatment options available.

Of course, just as no two people are affected by depression in exactly the same way, neither is there a one size fits all treatment to cure depression. What works for one person might not work for another. By becoming as informed as possible, though, you can find the treatments that can help you overcome depression, feel happy and hopeful again, and reclaim your life.

Mental Health Conditions: Depression And Anxiety

Depression is more than just feeling down or having a bad day. When a sad mood lasts for a long time and interferes with normal, everyday functioning, you may be depressed. Symptoms of depression include:1

  • Feeling sad or anxious often or all the time
  • Not wanting to do activities that used to be fun
  • Feeling irritable easily frustrated or restless
  • Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
  • Waking up too early or sleeping too much
  • Eating more or less than usual or having no appetite
  • Experiencing aches, pains, headaches, or stomach problems that do not improve with treatment
  • Having trouble concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions
  • Feeling tired even after sleeping well
  • Feeling guilty, worthless, or helpless
  • Thinking about suicide or hurting yourself

The following information is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis of major depression and cannot take the place of seeing a mental health professional. If you think you are depressed talk with your doctor or a mental health professional immediately. This is especially important if your symptoms are getting worse or affecting your daily activities.

The exact cause of depression is unknown. It may be caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.2 Everyone is different but the following factors may increase a persons chances of becoming depressed:1

Add Greenery To Your Home Or Office

You may also find it helpful to add indoor plants to your home or office environment. Natural settings are associated with improved mental well-being, so it makes sense that “bringing the outdoors in” might help improve your mood.

Studies have shown that adding indoor plants to your home or office can help in a variety of ways, including:

  • Improving the workplace: Research has shown that office spaces enhanced with indoor plants improve worker concentration and workplace satisfaction.
  • Reducing stress levels: Another study found that actively interacting with indoor plans by caring for them can reduce both physiological and psychological stress.
  • : Research has found that students who spent most of their time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic had better mental health if they were exposed to more green plants. While about a third of the participants reported symptoms of moderate depression, those exposed to more greenery had lower levels of depression and anxiety.

Choosing certain plants may provide additional benefits. For example, research suggests that the scent of a lavender plant can help people feel calmer and more relaxed. No matter what type of plants you choose, greenery can be a great way to beautify your surroundings and potentially improve your mood.

Also Check: Is Zoning Out A Symptom Of Depression

Why Is Dealing With Depression So Difficult

Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that will help you to feel better. Sometimes, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or spending time with friends, can seem exhausting or impossible to put into action.

Its the Catch-22 of depression recovery: The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. There is a big difference, however, between something thats difficult and something thats impossible. While recovering from depression isnt quick or easy, you do have more control than you realizeeven if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there. You may not have much energy, but by drawing on all your reserves, you should have enough to take a walk around the block or pick up the phone to call a loved one, for example.

Taking the first step is always the hardest. But going for a walk or getting up and dancing to your favorite music, for example, is something you can do right now. And it can substantially boost your mood and energy for several hourslong enough to put a second recovery step into action, such as preparing a mood-boosting meal or arranging to meet an old friend. By taking the following small but positive steps day by day, youll soon lift the heavy fog of depression and find yourself feeling happier, healthier, and more hopeful again.

Start A Journaling Routine

53 Useful Things to Say to Someone with Depression in English

Depression comes with an array of unwanted thoughts and feelings. Journaling about what youre feeling can provide a useful outlet for your emotions, giving you some distance from unhelpful thoughts. This distance can help you to process difficult emotions.

If you feel able to, try sitting for a few minutes and writing out what youre thinking and feeling. Allow yourself to meet those thoughts with acceptance. They might feel bad, but feeling them doesnt make you bad.

Journaling can also help you keep track of things, people, or places that make you feel better or worse, so that you know what to move towards and what to avoid next time.

Journaling can also help you step out of negative thought loops. Writing about what youre feeling can help you to become aware of unwanted thoughts, so that you can let them go and ultimately replace them with helpful ones.

Like any habit, making regular time for journaling can help you get the most benefit from it. You might consider downloading a mood tracking app to measure your mood over time or setting aside half an hour each day to sit down and write whatever comes to mind.

There are some great worksheets and self-help guides out there. These resources aim to help you learn about depression, get in touch with your emotional health, and give you tools you can use to start feeling better.

You might like to try out these free, online self-help guides:

Also Check: Why Am I Depressed When I M Alone

Bake Your Favorite Sweet

While it may seem counterproductive, sometimes a quick indulgence in your favorite sweet can at least make you less sad. Of course, if you struggle with binge eating this may not be one of the best things to help depression after all.

But try baking your favorite sweets like chocolate chip cookies and treat yourself!

Do The Opposite Of What The Depression Voice Suggests

The automatic, unhelpful voice in your head may talk you out of self-help. However, if you can learn to recognize it, you can learn to work through it.

If you believe an event wont be fun or worth your time, say to yourself, You might be right, but itll be better than just sitting here another night. You may soon see the automatic thought isnt always helpful.

Read Also: Bible Verses When Feeling Depressed

Different Types Of Depression

There are different types of depression, and there are some conditions where depression is a symptom. These conditions include:

  • Bipolar disorder people with bipolar disorder, which is also known as “manic depression”, experience times of depression, where the symptoms are similar to clinical depression. They also go through phases when they have excessively high moods . Bouts of mania can include harmful behaviour like unsafe sex, spending sprees and gambling.
  • Seasonal affective disorder is also called “winter depression”. It’s depression that is related to weather, usually winter, so it happens seasonally.
  • Postnatal depression happens to some women after they’ve had a baby. It’s treated similarly to other types of depression, with antidepressant medication and talking therapy.

Learn more about how depression is diagnosed here.

Create A Wellness Toolbox

10 Things Depression Makes Us Do

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.

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How To Reach Out For Depression Support

Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for. The person you talk to doesnt have to be able to fix you they just need to be a good listenersomeone wholl listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.

Make face-time a priority. Phone calls, social media, and texting are great ways to stay in touch, but they dont replace good old-fashioned in-person quality time. The simple act of talking to someone face to face about how you feel can play a big role in relieving depression and keeping it away.

Try to keep up with social activities even if you dont feel like it. Often when youre depressed, it feels more comfortable to retreat into your shell, but being around other people will make you feel less depressed.

Find ways to support others. Its nice to receive support, but research shows you get an even bigger mood boost from providing support yourself. So find waysboth big and smallto help others: volunteer, be a listening ear for a friend, do something nice for somebody.

Care for a pet. While nothing can replace the human connection, pets can bring joy and companionship into your life and help you feel less isolated. Caring for a pet can also get you outside of yourself and give you a sense of being neededboth powerful antidotes to depression.

10 tips for staying connected

  • Talk to one person about your feelings.
  • Help someone else by volunteering.
  • Have lunch or coffee with a friend.
  • Schedule a weekly dinner date.
  • When Should I Contact My Healthcare Provider

    Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience thoughts about suicide, hurting yourself, or hurting others. Remember, you should always follow your healthcare providers instructions. Never stop taking your medications or start an alternative therapy without approval and supervision.

    Recommended Reading: How To Deal With Depression And Lack Of Motivation

    Should You Worry About Antidepressant Withdrawal

    insomniaPsychiatric Times

    More to the point, while you should slowly stop your antidepressant with the help of your doctor, antidepressants do not cause dependence and withdrawal like other substances. Unlike substances that are known to cause addiction, such as alcohol, opioids, and barbiturates, people don’t crave antidepressants. You dont get high from them, and they arent intentionally or compulsively overused. Serious reactions like the seizures and agitation that can follow sudden withdrawal from addictive substances are unheard of when these antidepressants are tapered gradually, note the authors of the Psychiatric Times report.

    Therapy And The Big Picture In Depression Treatment

    4 Things Everyone Can Do to Help Someone with Depression

    One of the hallmarks of depression is feeling overwhelmed and having trouble focusing. Therapy helps you step back and see what might be contributing to your depression and how you can make changes. Here are some of the big picture themes that therapy can help with:

    Relationships.Understanding the patterns of your relationships, building better relationships, and improving current relationships will help reduce isolation and build social support, important in preventing depression.

    Setting healthy boundaries. If you are stressed and overwhelmed, and feel like you just cant say no, you are more at risk for depression. Setting healthy boundaries in relationships and at work can help relieve stress, and therapy can help you identify and validate the boundaries that are right for you.

    Handling lifes problems. Talking with a trusted therapist can provide good feedback on more positive ways to handle lifes challenges and problems.

    Also Check: Most Common Symptoms Of Depression

    Learn To Recognize Negative Thinking

    Sometimes these thoughts can be obvious, such as times when you berate or criticize yourself. Other times, they can be more subtle. You might find yourself engaging in things like catastrophizing or all-or-nothing thinking.

    Catastrophizing involves always anticipating negative outcomes. All-or-nothing thinking means that you think of things as either successes or failures with no in-between. Once you get better at recognizing these cognitive patterns, you can start working on some healthier replacements.

    Getting Out Of A Funk: How To Help Yourself Through Depression

    Everyone has off days where they feel tired, irritable, and sad. Its normal to feel sadness as a response to challenging life events, loss, or changes, but sometimes these feelings can stick around for a while if left unaddressed and make it difficult for you to get through each day.

    Heres how you can tell when youre in a funk or maybe even experiencing a mild depression as well as what you can do to help yourself feel better.

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    Where Can I Find Clinical Trials For Depression

    Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so others may receive better help in the future.

    Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you. For more information, visit NIMH’s clinical trials information.

    Tap Into Your Spirituality

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    Religion can be an impactful source of support for many people dealing with depression, but there is no need to join a church, synagogue, or mosque unless you wish to. Simple daily practices such as meditation or adding to a list of things you’re grateful can help boost mood and overall well-being.

    Meditation can have a range of beneficial effects such as lowering stress levels and helping people to become more aware of their thoughts and reactions.

    Research indicates that an intervention called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy , which combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness meditation, can be helpful in treating depression and preventing future relapses of symptoms.

    Studies also suggest that different types of mindfulness meditative practices can also be effective in the treatment of depression.

    There are many different types of meditation, but you can get started with a simple meditative exercise with these steps:

  • Sit comfortably.
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    What Causes Depression

    Although some peoples depression can be influenced by major life events, the truth is that depression can happen to anyone without cause or warning. In fact, depression is one of the most common mood disorders 8.7% of women and 5.3% of men experience depression every year. Research has suggested that factors such as genetics, biology, environment, and psychology can all play a role in depression.

    Its important to note that depression exists on a scale from mild to severe, but even in mild cases it should be taken seriously. Depression is not simply a bad mood or something that someone can snap out of, but luckily it is very treatable.

    Create A Peace Corner

    A peace corner is easy to set up and can be a place to go in your own home that relaxes you when you need a break. Its purpose is to provide a peaceful zone filled with things that bring you positivity.

    Inspired by the Montessori method of teaching, peace corners arent just for kids they can be whatever you want them to be.

    Find an area of your home you can fill with comforting items such as plants, stress balls, soft pillows, a yoga mat, candles, and books. You can spend time there each day or just when youre having a hard time managing your depression symptoms.

    boost levels of serotonin , a neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates mood. If your serotonin levels arent where they should be, you can experience symptoms of depression.

    Be sure to check in with a mental health professional about whether a lightbox is suitable for you.

    Read Also: How To Stop Oversleeping Due To Depression

    Assess The Parts Instead Of Generalizing The Whole

    Depression can tinge recollections with difficult emotions. You may find yourself focusing on things that are unhelpful or perceived as difficult.

    Try to stop this overgeneralization. Push yourself to recognize the good. If it helps, write down what was meaningful about the event or day. You can track what you achieved that day, and which activities were enjoyable.

    Seeing the weight youre giving to one thing may help you direct your thoughts away from the whole and to the individual pieces that were helpful.

    Seek Support From Family And Friends

    Things To Do When Depressed

    When youre depressed, its easy to isolate yourself and avoid spending time maintaining your most important relationships.

    If you havent spent time with your family recently, try reaching out to let them know youre not feeling your best.

    Research shows that people who receive family support tend to recover from depression faster than those who dont.

    If you live near your family, try to increase the amount of time you spend together in person, whether this means living together or simply visiting for dinner every few days.

    If you live far away from your family and cant see them in person, regular phone calls or video chats can help you touch base and maintain your relationships.

    In addition to spending time with your family, make sure to carve time for your close friends and other people in your life. Simple things like enjoying activities together often have a positive effect on your mood and wellbeing.

    Also Check: Get Rid Of Depression Naturally

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