Things To Take Your Mind Off Depression

When Should I Get Treatment

If you feel low for at least two weeks and have other symptoms of depression, you can contact a health centre or psychiatric out-patient clinic . You can always call the medical advice line for advice.

If you feel very bad and that you cannot go on, have suicidal thoughts or plan to take your own life, you should immediately seek help at a psyciatric out-patient clinic or emergancy clinic or . This is also what you should do if someone close to you feels so bad that he or she is planning to take their own life.

How Can I Support My Mental Health

Having depression or anxiety isnt a sign of weakness and theres no need to feel embarrassed. Keep active in your community, consider joining a support group and do things that boost your mental wellbeing.

Self-help groups

Meeting other people who understand what youre going through can be helpful, especially if youre feeling isolated or lonely. You can find a local support group by asking your GP, or by contacting Mind, Anxiety UK, SANE or Rethink Mental Illness.

Keep a regular social routine

There are a range of services in the local community where you can meet new people and learn new skills. This will give you something to look forward to, and prevent you feeling isolated or alone. Your local Age UK can help you find an activity or group that will suit your interests.

Get Professional Help For Depression

At Advanced Psychiatry Associates, we know how difficult it can be to navigate life with a mental illness like depression. Thats why were the only private, full-service facility in the Sacramento area to offer outpatient services, including managing medications and therapy. We offer services like ketamine treatments and transcranial magnetic stimulation, all to provide compassionate and comprehensive care.

Get in touch to schedule an appointment with us at any of our four locations in Folsom, Sacramento, Roseville and Elk Grove.

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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

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.

Take a dog for a walk.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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Level Three Going Beyond With The Aligned Living System: The Journey Into An Expanded Reality

Whos it for: This group coaching is for individuals who have gone through the Introduction to The Aligned Living System as well as the Level Two training and want to explore the inner world this practice has opened up for them.

How its setup: Those who sign up for this group coaching will be part of small group 90-minute interactive coaching sessions for 10 consecutive weeks. The group coaching is led by the founder of The Aligned Living Foundation, David Waldas over Zoom.

Be Thankful For What Youve Learned

There is something to be gained from every bad experience. No matter what you are going through, chances are you are discovering valuable information about yourself or others that will help you later on down the line. Take a moment to think about what youâve learned and be thankful for it. It could help you avoid the same situation in the future.

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Take A Test To See How You Feel

If youre unsure about the way you feel, take our anonymous online test to check whether your levels of stress, anxiety, or depression are within a healthy range, and see if one of our online programs could help.

What causes depression?

No one knows exactly what causes depression. Genetic factors are important in many cases of depression, where depression seems to run in families , and about 30% of the vulnerability for depression is due to genetic influences.

Stressful life events also play a part in depression. Ongoing conflicts with others can take their toll on our wellbeing, as can other social and environmental stressors such as financial difficulties, retirement, unemployment, childbirth, loneliness, or loss of someone or something important. In vulnerable people, these stressful life events may be enough to cause or worsen depression.

Personality styleis another important factor. When people are depressed, they usually have a very negative view of themselves and the world. They do not appreciate good things, and bad things seem overwhelming. Some people have a tendency to view themselves and the world this way even when they are not depressed. In other words, they may have a depressive personality style.

How can I deal with depression?

Psychoeducation is also important when learning to manage your depression.

Take a look below to find out more about each option:

ECT is an effective form of treatment for depression, especially if:

What is CBT?

How Can You Get Yourself Out Of A Funk

Although depression can become a very clinical subject, many of the ways to help yourself through this mood disorder are very simple and practical. Self-care is a key component to living a happy, healthy life and between your diet, exercise, daily routines, and social interactions there are plenty of steps you can take to influence your mood. As you move through your depression, be open to trying new approaches and understand that it might take a combination of these self-care practices before you notice a change in your mood.

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How Is Depression And Anxiety Treated

If you broke your leg, you wouldn’t just struggle on without help. You’d get in seen to. Mental health is as important as physical health and can be treated successfully. There are several treatments available often a combination of treatments is needed.

If your symptoms are mild, your GP may take a ‘wait and see’ approach. They may give you some advice on how to cope with symptoms then see if symptoms improve within a few weeks.

Talking treatments

Theres something called ‘talking therapies’ now, which can really help people who are feeling low, anxious or out of sorts.

Talking treatments allow you to talk to a trained professional who can help you manage your thoughts and feelings and the effect they have on your mood and behaviour.

Examples of talking treatments include cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling. They may be one-on-one sessions or in a group environment.

If you are considering talking treatments, be sure to mention any cultural, language or religious needs you have or any hearing or sight problems, so they can be addressed when arranging therapy for you. Talking treatments are effective and available for free on the NHS.

Counter Depression With Exercise

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , getting regular physical activity can make you less likely to develop depression. Exercising three to five times weekly for 30 to 60 minutes can provide mental health benefits because exercise is a good way to get “out of your head” and focus on moment-to-moment sensations, such as your breathing and movements.

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Avoid Feeding Your Depression

Feeding depression creates a snowball effect: For example, if you throw a few crumbs out on your balcony or sidewalk, a few pigeons will show up. If you keep throwing out crumbs, by the end of the week a multitude of pigeons will have flocked to the area. Similarly, depression thrives on doubts, fears, and negative thoughts which feeds more depression. Learn to identify the negative thoughts and worries that are fueling your depression so you can replace them with positive, more realistic thoughts.

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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.

Try To Question Whatever Thought Is On Your Mind

Questioning your own thoughts might sound a little crazy. However, not all of our thoughts are helpful, so taking your internal monologue with a healthy dose of doubt is perfectly reasonable. In fact, one of the best questions to ask when you find yourself ruminating is: Is this thought helpful?

If it isnt, why should you keep repeating it?

Other helpful questions include:

• What proof do I have that this thought is true or false?
• If my friend were in the same situation and thought the same way, what would I say to them?
• What are some alternative explanations for this situation?
• Will this matter one day from now? What about in one week, or a month?

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When To Get Professional Help For Depression

If youve taken self-help steps and made positive lifestyle changes and still find your depression getting worse, seek professional help. Needing additional help doesnt mean youre weak. Sometimes the negative thinking in depression can make you feel like youre a lost cause, but depression can be treated and you can feel better!

Dont forget about these self-help tips, though. Even if youre receiving professional help, these tips can be part of your treatment plan, speeding your recovery and preventing depression from returning.

What If I Am Not Happy With My Treatment

If you are not happy with your treatment you can:

• talk to your doctor to see if they can suggest changes,
• get an advocate to help you speak your doctor,
• ask for a second opinion if you feel it would help,
• contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service and see whether they can help, or
• make a complaint.

There is more information about these options below.

Advocacy

An advocate is independent from the NHS. They are free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard.

There are different types of advocates available. Community advocates can support you to get a health professional to listen to your concerns. And help you to get the treatment that you would like. They arent available in all areas.

You can ask an advocate to help you make a complaint. Advocates that do this are called NHS complaints advocates. They are free to use and don t work for the NHS. They re available in all areas.

You can search online to search for a local advocacy service. If you cant find a service you can call our advice service 0808 801 0525 . You can email us too at . We will look for you.

Second opinion

Talk to your doctor about your treatment to see if you can resolve the problem with them first. If you dont agree with their decisions about diagnosis or treatment, you could ask for a second opinion. You are not legally entitled to a second opinion, but your doctor might agree to it if it would help with treatment options.

‘PALS’

Complaints

• Advocacy by clicking here.

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Set Your Messages Aside

A common symptom of depression is difficulty concentrating. If a constant flow of e-mails and phone calls is interrupting your train of thought, you may be diverted from the more important tasks you need to accomplish. If this is a challenge for you, resist the urge to constantly check your e-mail, and allow your phone calls to be handled by voicemail. Set aside several times throughout the day to respond to these messages.

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.

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What Risks And Complications Can Depression Cause

Having depression can cause other problems. It can affect your mental health as well as your physical health, and it may affect other areas of your life too. For example, depression may cause:

• disturbed sleep,
• difficulties with work and your hobbies,
• difficulties keeping contact with friends and families, or
• suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harming.

Some people might also drink more alcohol to try and relieve depression. However, as we said in the previous section above, this can actually make depression worse.

If you have any of these problems, speak to your GP.

Different Types Of Depression

Your doctor may diagnose you with depression and say that its mild, moderate or severe, depending on your symptoms and how severe they are. Or you may be diagnosed with a specific type of depression, such as:

• dysthymia mild depression that lasts for several years
• seasonal affective disorder a depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern
• postnatal depression a depression that many parents experience after having a baby. Some people experience antenatal depression during pregnancy

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How Are Depression And Anxiety Diagnosed

There are no specific tests but your GP may perform some blood tests for other health conditions that share similar symptoms with depression or anxiety.

Your GP will need to get a good picture of the way youre feeling mentally and physically. They will ask you lots of questions about your symptoms and the changes youve noticed.

It can be difficult to think about specific answers on-the-spot but the following suggestions might help you plan ahead for your appointment.

• Make a list of all your symptoms, whether they are worse at certain times of the day or on particular occasions, how long youve had them and their effect on your day-to-day life and relationship with others.
• Explain any circumstances that could be contributing to these symptoms and the way you feel.
• Take a list of all medications you currently take, including any supplements or non-prescription medication.
• Be as open and honest as you can remember anything you say is confidential.

What Are The Symptoms Of Depression And How Is It Diagnosed

The NHS recommends that you should see your GP if you experience symptoms of depression for most of the day, every day, for more than 2 weeks.

Doctors make decisions about diagnosis based on manuals. The manual used by NHS doctors is the International Classification of Diseases .

When you see a doctor they will look for the symptoms that are set out in the ICD-10 guidance. You do not have to have all of these to be diagnosed with depression. You might have just experience some of them.

Some symptoms of depression are:

• low mood, feeling sad, irritable or angry,
• having less energy to do certain things,
• losing interest or enjoyment in activities you used to enjoy,
• reduced concentration,

You may also find that with low mood you:

• feel less pleasure from things,
• feel more agitated,
• find your thoughts and movements slow down, and
• have thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

Your doctor should also ask about any possible causes of depression. For example, they may want to find out if youve experienced anything traumatic recently which could be making you feel this way.

There are no physical tests for depression. But the doctors may do some tests to check if you have any physical problems. For example, an underactive thyroid can cause depression.

On the NHS website, they have a self-assessment test which can help you to assess whether you are living with depression: www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/clinical-depression/overview/

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