Things To Distract You From Depression

Listen To Uplifting Music

I say uplifting music because some music may have the potential to make you feel worse. Whatever your genre of music preference is, music has the ability to help you forget about your troubles and lift your mood.

In a review of 9 research studies, psychological therapy was found to be more effective when combined with music therapy for improving mood through emotional expression.

Signs And Symptoms Of Depression In Women

The symptoms of depression in women vary from mild to severe and are distinguished by the impact they have on your ability to function. Common signs of depression include:

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. You feel as if nothing will ever get better and theres nothing you can do to improve your situation.
• You dont care anymore about former hobbies, pastimes, and social activities you used to enjoy.
• Appetite changes often leading to significant weight loss or weight gain.
• Changes in your sleep pattern.
• Feeling angry, agitated, restless.
• Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and drained of energy.
• Trouble concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things.
• Increase in aches and pains, including headaches, cramps, breast tenderness, or bloating.
• Suicidal thoughts.

Women also tend to experience certain depression symptoms more often than men. These include:

• Depression in the winter months due to lower levels of sunlight.
• Symptoms of atypical depression, where rather than sleeping less, eating less, and losing weight, you experience the opposite: sleeping excessively, eating more , and gaining weight.
• Strong feelings of guilt and worthlessness. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.

If youre feeling suicidal

Problems dont seem temporarythey seem overwhelming and permanent. But if you reach out for help, you will feel better.

Socialize With Friends And Family

Even if you are experiencing mild depression or a funk, you might find yourself drawing away from others, avoiding social situations, or not wanting to burden people with your feelings. One of the hardest but most helpful things you can do to see yourself through depression is to find that strong support circle and spend time with the people you love.

Schedule times to visit with family and friends or plan to grab lunch with a coworker so you have a specific time and place where you can lean on others when youre feeling blue. You might also find that some of these people have experienced depression themselves and they might be able to relate with you on the subject and share ideas of what has helped them in the past or just lend an open ear.

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Says That You May Only Be Able To Tackle Small Activities When Depressed But You Can Progress To

The third step is to try engaging in more difficult activities. One man used all his energy to push himself to go to the gym every day during his depression and he also found he got distracted by Wimbledon! Another isolated man eventually started to play bowls, and was able to make valued friendships as well as become ‘one of the boys’ – something he had longed for in life. One young man was initially sceptical that his doctor’s advice to ‘do just physical things’ could work to help lift his depression. Nevertheless, he was pleasantly surprised to find that gardening made it easier for him to defeat negative thoughts.

Avoids The Real Problem

Theres another good reason to ditch the distractions: Youre covering up the real problems. Often, we turn to easy comforts, like video games, television, food or social media, so we can avoid feeling sad or anxious. You might feel better, but the problem still remains and ignoring mental health concerns makes them harder to address in the future.In order to overcome depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues we need to acknowledge their existence. And yes, that means putting down the phone. If you feel like youre using distractions to avoid serious issues, talk to a mental health professional, who can help you get to the root causes.

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Understanding Depression In Women

Depression can impact every area of a womans lifeincluding your physical health, social life, relationships, career, and sense of self-worthand is complicated by factors such as reproductive hormones, social pressures, and the unique female response to stress. However, its important to know that youre not alone. Women are about twice as likely as men to suffer from depression but depression is treatable and there are plenty of things you can do to make yourself feel better.

Of course, the Catch-22 of depression is that feeling better requires action but taking action when youre depressed is difficult. However, while you may not have much energy, you probably have enough to take a short walk around the block or pick up the phone to call a loved one, for exampleand that can be a great start to boosting your mood and improving your outlook. Its important to also learn about the factors that cause depression in women so you can tackle the condition head on, treat your depression most effectively, and help prevent it from coming back.

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What Foods Help Ease Depression

While no specific diet has been proven to relieve depression, a healthy diet can help you feel your best physically and mentally. Certain foods may be linked to brain health and support for memory, alertness, and mood. Examples include foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids , antioxidants , and nutrients like choline . Always talk with your doctor before making any major diet changes.

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Recognize Your Strengths And Weaknesses

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. In fact, we all have strengths and weaknesses in every aspect of our lives.

Listing your strengths and weaknesses allows you to reframe your thinking by also listing the positives about yourself compared to only thinking about the negative things.

For example- My strength is I am an empathetic person. However, my weakness is that I am also overly sensitive.

Tip : Get Up And Get Moving

When youre depressed, just getting out of bed can seem like a daunting task, let alone working out! But exercise is a powerful depression fighterand one of the most important tools for depression recovery.

Studies show that regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medication at increasing energy levels and decreasing feelings of fatigue. You dont even have to hit the gym. A 30-minute walk each day will give you a much-needed boost. And if you cant manage 30 minutes, three 10-minute bursts of movement throughout the day are just as effective.

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Fight Depression: Recognize And Conquer Your Critical Self Attacks

Depression is often accompanied by a critical, self-destructive mentality that interferes with and distracts us from our daily lives. When depressed, people tend to accept this negative identity as a true representation of who they are. Many people fail to recognize that this sadistic point of view is actually the voice of a well-hidden enemy within, what my father, psychologist Dr. Robert Firestone refers to as the critical inner voice. Internalized early in life, this inner voice functions like an over-disciplinary parent holding us back and keeping us in our place. On October 11, I am presenting a CE Webinar to professionals on an Innovative Approach to Treating Depression. The presentation will illustrate how this destructive thought process fuels depression and educate mental health professionals on how they can help clients identify and conquer their critical inner voice.

What To Say When Someone Is Depressed Or Anxious

You could start the conversation by asking questions such as: It seems like things have been hard for you lately. Whats on your mind? and: What can I do to help?

Something Ive learnt is to ask sincere, open-ended questions like, How does this feel? So the other person can feel supported, comforted and safe, rather than being told what to do. ayrc_1904

When you want to bring up a sensitive issue with a friend, try to choose a time and place when youre both comfortable, relaxed and theres some privacy. Dont push them if they dont want to talk, and be there for them if they become upset. You might not have an answer or a solution, but just being there to listen can be super helpful.

It might be difficult for your friend to accept your help continue to check in with them and let them know that you care about them, and that youre there for them if they need you.

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Make Someone Else’s Day A Little Better

“One of the coping skills I use with my bipolar depression is to take five minutes and make someone else’s day better. Uplifting another person instantly makes you feel better. You never know what someone else is going through, so a smile, compliment, or act of kindness can go a long way on both ends.”

Exercise Is Something You Can Do Right Now To Boost Your Mood

Your fatigue will improve if you stick with it. Starting to exercise can be difficult when youre depressed and feeling exhausted. But research shows that your energy levels will improve if you keep with it. Exercise will help you to feel energized and less fatigued, not more.

Find exercises that are continuous and rhythmic. The most benefits for depression come from rhythmic exercisesuch as walking, weight training, swimming, martial arts, or dancingwhere you move both your arms and legs.

Add a mindfulness element, especially if your depression is rooted in unresolved trauma or fed by obsessive, negative thoughts. Focus on how your body feels as you movesuch as the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, or the feeling of the wind on your skin, or the rhythm of your breathing.

Pair up with an exercise partner. Not only does working out with others enable you to spend time socializing, it can also help to keep you motivated. Try joining a running club, taking a water aerobics or dance class, seeking out tennis partners, or enrolling in a soccer or volleyball league.

Walk a dog. If you dont own a dog, you can volunteer to walk homeless dogs for an animal shelter or rescue group. Youll not only be helping yourself but also be helping to socialize and exercise the dogs, making them more adoptable.

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Tackling Negative Thoughts With Distraction

Thursday, 06 August 2015Polly Allen

Polly blogs about four distraction techniques she’s come up with to help her through depression.

Polly Allen is a journalist from Sussex who’s lived with clinical depression since 2007. She blogs as The Travelling Calavera.

Cheer up. Keep smiling. Count yourself lucky. Be positive. Snap out of it. I’ve lost count of the number of times well-meaning people have said these phrases to me, as though depression will lift if only I stop indulging in all this negative thinking.

If only it were that simple, I’d sign up for a crash course in optimism on the spot, but mental illness isn’t so easily dealt with. I know what it’s like to be crushed under the weight of anger, disappointment and my own high standards, criticising my every moment and never pausing for breath. Nearly a decade of negative self-talk took its toll and I didn’t know what it felt like to be optimistic about anything in my life.

“I remember sitting in Buddhist meditation classes wondering when my sense of inner peace would kick in – it didn’t.”

I remember sitting in Buddhist meditation classes wondering when my sense of inner peace would kick in . I felt powerless to stop automatically punishing myself, and it took me to a very dark place many times.

However, small-scale distraction techniques – the really manageable ones – can really help when you’re surrounded by ruminating thoughts and waiting for talking therapy. Here are some that have helped me.

Whats The Difference Between Sadness And Depression

Whether youve lost a loved one, moved to a new place, or missed out on a job opportunity, there are plenty of stressful and upsetting events that can get you down. However, the difference between sadness and depression is that sadness usually passes with a little time, while depression is a mood disorder that can appear without any specific cause and last for two weeks or more.

Depression impacts almost every part of your life, interfering with how you think, feel, and go about your daily activities like sleeping, working, and socializing. Some common symptoms of depression include:

• Feeling empty
• Difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than normal
• Changes in appetite or weight
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Loss of interest in hobbies or activities
• Irritability or restlessness
• Aches and pains without clear physical causes
• Thoughts of death or suicide

To be diagnosed with depression, these symptoms must be present nearly all day, every day for at least two weeks.

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Get Professional Help If Needed

If you dont benefit sufficiently from self-help treatments, seek help from a mental health professional. While women suffering from depression respond to the same types of treatment as men, specific aspects of treatment are often modified for women. Women are also more likely to require simultaneous treatment for other conditions such as anxiety or eating disorders.

Therapy. Talk therapy is an extremely effective treatment for depression. It can provide you with the skills and insight to relieve depression symptoms and help prevent depression from coming back. One of the most important things to consider when choosing a therapist is your connection with this person. The right therapist will be a caring and supportive partner in your depression treatment and recovery.

Medication.Antidepressant medication may help relieve some symptoms of depression in women, but it wont cure the underlying problem. Because of female biological differences, women are generally started on lower doses of antidepressants than men. Women are also more likely to experience side effects, so any medication use should be closely monitored. Dont rely on a doctor who is not trained in mental health for guidance on medication, and remember that medication works best when you make healthy lifestyle changes as well.

Dealing With The Winter Blues

The reduced daylight hours of winter lead to a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder . Women are diagnosed with SAD at four times the rate of men. SAD can make you feel like a completely different person to who you are in the summer: hopeless, sad, tense, or stressed, with no interest in friends or activities you normally love. No matter how bad you feel, though, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your mood stable throughout the year.

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Ways To Try To Distract Yourself From Pain

Everyone needs to be distracted from time to time, whether from illness, whats going on around them or simply from life itself. Distractions dont take the problems away, but they might take your mind off whatever is bothering you. When youre living with pain, learning to distract yourself from it might help. A distraction might take your mind off the pain for a few minutes or even a few hours.

We need all the help we can get when we live with chronic pain because there is not one single stand-alone solution. Pain medication and some techniques like breathing and relaxation can help but distractions play an important role too. Im not suggesting that distractions can cure chronic pain but they can give us some breathing space.

Stop The Negative Self

Depressed people tend to see the world in a negative way. When things go wrong, they blame themselves, and when they go right, they put it down to luck. Depression reinforces self-doubt and feelings of worthlessness.

Monitor your inner negative talk and make allowances for this type of thinking by reminding yourself that your thinking is being clouded by your depression. Dont take your thoughts seriously when you are feeling low. Acknowledge the thoughts, but this doesnt mean you have to believe them.

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Resting/taking A Lot Of Breaks

Rest. Literally sounds ridiculous that someone would tell me Im lazy because I choose to rest when Im depressed instead of throwing myself into the deep end that will make me more depressed. Resting helps me recharge faster, and because Ive done this more, my depression episodes dont last as long. Sloane S.

When I am not at work I take breaks in between tasks. I lie down with my heating pad and just rest. I set an alarm in case I fall asleep to make sure I am on time for my next task. I still get done what I have to, but conserve energy on my low days so I wont get overly tired and quit. I allowed my depression to get so bad once that my house was disgusting and my friends who helped me move saw it and I was so mortified for them to see it, but too exhausted to clean. I swore never again, so I force myself to clean even if it means lying down after each room. Charly B.

If you can relate, check out this list of 24 motivation tips to get through the day when youre depressed.